Cold fusion is a low-temperature nuclear fusion reaction that uses deuterium as a potential source of energy. However, there is currently no consistent technique for generating a cold fusion reaction that produces more energy than is needed to sustain the reaction. The US Department of Energy recommends no additional funding for cold fusion research, as it is considered an unattainable goal.
A fusion reaction occurs when nuclei combine into a single nucleus, releasing large amounts of energy in the process. In most cases the temperatures at which this occurs are extremely high, on the order of millions of degrees Celsius.
Cold fusion is a generic term for any nuclear fusion reaction that occurs substantially below normal temperatures, but is more often used to describe a low-temperature reaction that can be achieved using relatively normal experimental conditions.
Deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen) is often considered the best potential source of energy based on cold fusion. It is readily available, has little waste, and produces large amounts of energy. For this reason, most of the work done in the field of cold fusion uses various catalysts to cause a low-temperature reaction with deuterium.
At present there is no consistent technique for generating a cold fusion reaction that produces more energy than is needed to sustain the reaction.
Current cold fusion research is unpredictable at best, following a bout of excitement in the late 1980s that went without success. Pons-Fleishman’s experiments used dideuterium oxide (heavy water) and a very simple apparatus. While they created a brief wave of popular interest, other scientists found the results impossible to replicate, and interest in the scientific community quickly waned.
All of the known techniques that have been claimed to generate excess energy in a reaction (pointing to cold fusion) appear to challenge current understanding of nuclear physics. The two main arguments used to justify the cold fusion reaction (palladium as a catalyst or fusion of deuterium into helium 4) do not stand up to close scrutiny: the density of deuterium in a palladium rod does not seem sufficient to induce fusion, and a lack of gamma rays indicates that helium 4 is not produced.
At this time the US Department of Energy recommends no additional funding for cold fusion research, with small grants made for incidental expenses for particularly intriguing experiments. It is considered by the mainstream scientific establishment to be an unattainable goal, similar to a unified field theory or time travel.
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