Reply To: Military Effects

[BSFusion]

The energy released in the pB11 process comes from fusion: the fusion of a hydrogen nucleus (a proton) with a boron-11 nucleus into a stable and quite non-radioactive carbon 12 nucleus.

Humm… it instantly decays – this stable nucleus??

OK, but isn’t it also true that energy is released according to Einstein’s E=mc2, with the final products (three alphas) containing less mass than the original reactants (p+B11), regardless of whether or not there was an intermediate C12* formed?

But the C12 nucleus can’t contain the energy that resulted from its creation and it flies apart… but the [em]cause[/em] of breakup is not an unstable heavy nucleus decaying, as happens in fission.

So, are you saying, fission can only be thought of as a process of spontaneous radioactive decay, not induced through neutron bombardment?

… the energy released in the pB11 process comes strictly from fusion.

A less strict interpretation would be that energy comes from the change in mass between product nuclii and reactant nuclii.
Maybe a third option, “aneutronic spallation,” should be added to the poll. What do you think?
Anyway, this is only an opinion poll, nothing serious, but please remember to cast a vote.

Thanks