![]() These release 17.6MeV (megaelectron volts) of energy per reaction, approximately 10 million times greater than those found in typical chemical combustions. The plasma is compressed, using magnets for example, to fuse the hydrogen isotopes together, producing helium and high-speed neutrons that shoot outwards. This creates plasma, which is a fourth state of matter. Sadly for any modern-day alchemists, due to the vast amounts of energy needed to kickstart fusion reactions between atoms, attempts to harness fusion on Earth need lightweight elements to work, so gold will not be a byproduct.įusion reactors operate by superheating hydrogen isotopes to over 15 million degrees Centigrade, which is as hot as the Sun. Fusion and alchemy, therefore, are more closely linked than people realise. What they did not realise at the time was that heavy elements, such as gold, were actually created by fusion – albeit fusion in dying stars that exploded, scattering material into space. What kept the alchemists going was the knowledge that since gold clearly did exist, it had to have been created somehow. Just as alchemists spent decades of their lives trying to turn other metals into gold, fusion is the process that allows lightweight atomic nuclei to combine to form a heavier nucleus, creating a different chemical element. In many ways, fusion shares characteristics with alchemy. Replicating this process in a fusion reactor here on Earth, however, is complex and presents significant engineering challenges. The stars, including our Sun, are giant self-sustaining fusion reactors.įusion in a star operates by intense gravitational forces compressing matter together, forcing atoms to fuse and become heavier, releasing energy as they do so. ![]() The science of nuclear fusion was proven in the early 1930s, after fusion of hydrogen isotopes was achieved in a laboratory. ![]()
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