Diamond Bullet Fired at 1000 KM/S Can Produce Nuclear Fusion, Chinese Researchers Say
Diamond Fusion A team of Chinese researchers proposes firing tiny diamond bullets into a chunk of crystal methane to produce nuclear fusion. A millimeter-sized diamond bullet fired from a linear accelerator can produce nuclear fusion when it collides with a chunk of solid methane, according to a study by Chinese researchers. Despite the large amount of energy required to accelerate a diamond to 1,000 km/s -- about 620 miles per second -- the collision produces a net energy gain, according to the team's simulations. So far, it's just a concept; no physical studies have been conducted. Only the initial impact and ignition have been studied in detail, and the simulations stop at roughly 50 nanoseconds. It would work by colliding a 1-cubic-millimeter-diameter diamond with crystal DT methane, which has better stopping power than other fusion fuels. Most of the bullet's kinetic energy is transformed into a shock wave, producing high...