Enhanced D-D Fusion Rates when the Coulomb Barrier Is Lowered by Electrons

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that low-energy electrons can significantly lower the Coulomb barrier in deuterium fusion, leading to increased fusion rates confirmed through experiments and quantum mechanical predictions.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence that electron screening enhances D-D fusion rates by lowering the Coulomb barrier, supported by quantum mechanical calculations.

Findings

Fusion rate increases with electron screening.

Experimental results align with quantum mechanical predictions.

Enhancement is due to increased tunneling probability, not just electrostatic acceleration.

Abstract

A profusion of unbound, low-energy electrons creates a local electric field that reduces Coulomb potential and increases quantum tunneling probability for pairs of nuclei. Neutral beam-target experiments on deuterium-deuterium fusion reactions, observed with neutron detectors, show percentage increases in fusion products are consistent with electron-screening predictions from Schrodinger wave mechanics. Experiments performed confirm that observed fusion rate enhancement with a negatively biased target is primarily due to changes to the fusion cross section, rather than simply acceleration due to electrostatic forces.