Seminars & Events

MCS Seminar Announcement
"Advances in Acoustic Inertial Confinement Fusion"

DATE: March 8, 2007
TIME: 2:00pm
SPEAKER: Rusi P Taleyarkhan, Purdue University
LOCATION: Bldg. 212 - A157, Argonne
HOST: Ahmed Hassanein

Description:
Modeling and simulation along with detailed experimentation have been conducted over the past four years to provide insights into acoustic inertial confinement fusion induction in deuterated liquids. This approach utilizes aspects of the phenomenon of sonoluminescence to induce x 10^14 resonance acoustic energy focusing into imploding deuterated bubble clusters. A first-stage theoretical foundation for supercompression of acoustically driven deuterated bubble clusters has now been developed and published (Nigmatulin et al.,Phys.of Fluids, 10/2005). Prior experiments for demonstrating the ability to induce thermonuclear conditions were conducted using external neutron sources for nucleating bubble clusters and despite compelling evidence (Taleyarkhan et al., Science(2002); Phys.Rev.E (2004)) lingering doubts remained due to the use of neutrons for maintaining a chain reaction. This was successfully addressed during 2006 (Taleyarkhan et al., Phys.Rev.L (1/2006) where, using four independent detection systems (including a passive neutron detector system for unambiguous signature development) we demonstrated self-nucleated acoustically driven thermonuclear fusion in deuterated liquid mixtures, effectively developing a standalone acoustically-driven thermonuclear fusion system. In these novel experiments, seeding of cavities on the nanoscale was accomplished using alpha-recoils from dissolved natural uranyl nitrate salt in deuterated working fluids. This discovery has also recently been independently confirmed by unversity researchers from Stanford and Texas universities (Forringer et al., November 2006; W. Bugg, June, 2006). Initial conflicts raised in relation to the PRL reported spectrum for neutrons have also been successfully addressed (Taleyarkhan et al., October, 2006). The presentation will highlight the above-mentioned developments and address challenges-cum-opportunities including spinoff applications.