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Progress towards cold fusion, where nuclear fusion can occur at close to room temperatures, has now been at a standstill for decades. However, an increasing number of studies are now proposing that the reaction could be triggered more easily through a mechanism involving muons - elementary particles with the same charge as electrons, but with around 200 times their mass. Through a study published in
EPJ D, researchers led by Francisco Caruso at the Brazilian Centre for Physical Research have shown theoretically how this process would unfold within 2D systems, without any need for approximations.
The team s results could lead to long-awaited advances in the field of cold fusion - which has been proposed as an efficient, sustainable way to harvest vast amounts of energy. Since muons are so much heavier than electrons, they will orbit far closer to atomic nuclei when captured by hydrogen atoms. This enables the nuclei to fuse into helium far more readily - after which the
Characterising cold fusion in 2-D models phys.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from phys.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.