stable one, while tritium has a half-life of roughly twelve years, making it slightly radioactive (Unterweger et al.; Wanjek). However, tritium has a higher binding energy than deuterium making it a more efficient fuel (Watkins). The deuterium-tritium reaction has a yield of roughly 17.6 MeV whereas the deuterium-deuterium reaction only has a yield of about 3.65 MeV. Still, the DT reaction has its disadvantages. For one, in the DT reaction about 80% of the energy is stored in a high-energy neutron which, due to its neutral charge, is hard to capture (“Nuclear Binding”). This is compared with only about 25% of the energy being stored in the neutron for the DD reaction. Additionally, the DT reaction requires a higher triple product than the DD reaction, making it more difficult to achieve (“Nuclear Binding”).
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The first form is that of high-energy neutrons, which are the primary byproduct of the reactions. Fusors can produce a neutron flux on the order of anywhere between 105 and 108 depending on the mode of operation (Haug and Nakel). When operated for shorts amount of time however these are not particularly dangerous levels of radiation. A more prevalent form of radiation from a fusor is Bremmstrahlung radiation. When a charged particle experiences a change in momentum it emits a photon to account for the change in its kinetic energy, thus preserving conservation of energy (Haug and Nakel). In fusors, this radiation is given off in the visible, x-ray, and gamma ray spectrum and can vary wildly depending on factors such as the fuel being used, the temperature inside the fusor, and the voltage difference across the grids. This radiation also takes away from the overall power of the fusor (Welch et al.). The net power the fusor produces is given by the Lawson Criterion above. In that equation, the power from fusion term is given by
P=n_a n_b
The first form is that of high-energy neutrons, which are the primary byproduct of the reactions. Fusors can produce a neutron flux on the order of anywhere between 105 and 108 depending on the mode of operation (Haug and Nakel). When operated for shorts amount of time however these are not particularly dangerous levels of radiation. A more prevalent form of radiation from a fusor is Bremmstrahlung radiation. When a charged particle experiences a change in momentum it emits a photon to account for the change in its kinetic energy, thus preserving conservation of energy (Haug and Nakel). In fusors, this radiation is given off in the visible, x-ray, and gamma ray spectrum and can vary wildly depending on factors such as the fuel being used, the temperature inside the fusor, and the voltage difference across the grids. This radiation also takes away from the overall power of the fusor (Welch et al.). The net power the fusor produces is given by the Lawson Criterion above. In that equation, the power from fusion term is given by
P=n_a n_b