Star in the Jar

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However, he adds, mathematical models of the process suggest that much greater energy production may be possible. Of more immediate concern to him and his colleagues is the task of convincing other scientists that their evidence of fusion is sound. Under extreme pressure and at temperatures of millions of degrees, such as at the center of the sun, deuterium atoms fuse in a reaction whose products include tritium–hydrogen’s radioactive heavy isotope–and neutrons. They just don’t have the evidence,” says William C. Moss of Lawrence Livermore (Calif.) National Laboratory, one of several sonoluminescence specialists who have theorized that fusion in collapsing bubbles is feasible. This lays the groundwork for the exciting high-performance plasma operations expected in the near future," Gates said. The fuel source is found in seawater in quantities sufficient to last tens of thousands of years," he said. "The waste product is helium, an inert gas. A viable fusion reactor would provide a secure, plentiful and environmentally benign energy resource to all nations."

On the other hand, scientists have produced tabletop fusion, for instance by zapping small clusters of atoms with high-powered lasers (SN: 3/27/99, p. 196: https://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc99/3_27_99/fob1.htm). What causes the glow? Good question. According to [Justin], we just don’t know for sure what causes it, although the leading theory is that cavitation of the bubble causes the trapped gas to compress and heat violently, turning into a brief bit of plasma. But there are problems with that theory, which is one of the reasons he wanted to show just how easy the process can be – now that he’s shaken out the bugs with five years of effort. It wasn’t easy getting the transducers attached and the driver circuit properly tuned, but with little more than a signal generator, an audio amp, and a spool of magnet wire, you too can make your own “star in a jar.”Several detractors have compared the new Science report to the infamous “cold fusion” announcement made in 1989 (SN: 4/1/89, p. 196). Two electrochemists claimed then to have sparked fusion at room temperature by passing electric current through a bath of water in which ordinary hydrogen is replaced by deuterium, a heavier isotope. However, neither the original pair nor anyone else could reproduce those findings, which have since largely been discredited as a case study of mistaken science (SN: 6/22/91, p. 392). Even if the experiments did yield fusion reactions, practical technology based on the phenomenon would be a long way off. However, many scientists have already pronounced the new findings dead wrong. In the current setup, creating sonoluminescence takes far more energy than the bubble collapse gives off, even if fusion is taking place, Taleyarkhan says. Bristling at comparisons to the cold-fusion drama, the Oak Ridge researchers say that their findings withstood extensive peer review before being published. The cold-fusion claim in 1989 was announced to reporters before being submitted for publication.

A group of scientists claims to have found evidence of nuclear fusion in a vase-size flask of liquid. The researchers say they created tiny bubbles that seemed to have collapsed with enough violence to force atomic nuclei to fuse. BUBBLE MAGIC. In a flask of acetone bombarded by sound waves, a cloud of bubbles (arrow) briefly swells to the size of a pea before collapsing. Courtesy of Oak Ridge Natl. Lab., Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Russian Acad. Sci. THE BIG SQUASH. A neutron pulse (arrow) combines with a sound signal (blue) in a flask of acetone to generate the conditions for a bubble (brown) to form, grow, and then implode with great force. After Taleyarkhan et al./Science He is already thinking about his next project. “I was thinking that maybe I could make a hand-held laser cutter,” says Edwards. “So I’ve been looking into some really high-powered lasers.” In terms of the big-picture goal, Gates said that nuclear fusion reactors, if properly developed and deployed, would provide the planet with safe, clean and virtually inexhaustible energy. Fusion is a problem best solved by the peoples of all nations working together, since the entire world will benefit from it." That last part is critical. Gates said he's encouraged by fact that the W7-X project, and nuclear fusion research in general, is the result of close collaboration among scientists from around the world.If nothing else, [Justin Atkin] is persistent. How else do you explain a five-year quest to create sonoluminescence with simple tools?