Of all the possible combinations of nuclei colliding the probability of a fusion reaction occurring is highest for D-T.  This probability is usually called the fusion reaction cross section.

If the nuclei are moving fast enough they can get close enough together to overcome the repulsion from the positively charged protons, and fuse.  This binding of the nucleons (protons & neutrons) allows them to rearrange into a helium-4 nucleus (often called an alpha particle) and a free neutron.  Releasing a huge amount of energy from the difference in mass of the D-T before and the He-4 and neutron after, according to the famous E=mc^2 equation.

The reaction can then be written as:

D + T ->  He-4 + n + 17.6MeV

The energy is released in the form of kinetic energy of the particles, and due to the conservation of momentum this is divided up with the He-4 getting 3.5MeV and the neutron getting 14.1MeV. Since the neutron is roughly 4 times lighter than the He-4.

Since it can occur at lower temperatures than other fusion reactions it is currently the leading candidate for mainstream fusion projects such as ITER and NIF.

What is Fusion
What is DT Fusion (Deuterium-Tritium Fusion)
What is Aneutronic Fusion
What is Focus Fusion
What is “mainline fusion”
What’s the difference between fusion and fission?

Nuclear Fuel
What are nuclei?
What are protons, neutrons, electrons?
What are ions?
What are isotopes?
What is radiation?
What is plasma?
How do you measure 100eV?
How do you measure a billion degrees?

LPPX:
What is LPPX?
What is a DPF - Dense Plasma Focus
What is a pinch?  Why is it important?
How will you determine feasibility?
What does the yield chart indicate?

What is Electricity

The CFSA is a research group of around 20 academics and 30 PhD students working on many aspects of plasma physics.  Including MCF, ICF and Solar plasmas.

The National Labs:
LANL
LLNL
ORNL
PPPL
NRL
Sandia

Universities
UWisc
Uwash
UMD
UCLA
MIT
CalTech
CFSA University of Warwick, UK

Industries
GA
GE

The goal of this wiki is to support fusion experiments by building awareness of research activities and needs worldwide. 

FAQs
Catalog of Experiments
Experimental Challenges
The Science of Fusion
Aneutronic Fusion
Categories
Instruments
A History of Fusion Research
A History of Fusion Funding
Organizations that Support Fusion Research
How You Can Support Fusion Experimentation

Contribute to this wiki
Please contribute your knowledge to this wiki. 

Please confine your posts to factual information.  If you would like to discuss something, set up a new thread on the forums and link your discussion to the wiki.

Note, we are planning to migrate to a mediawiki wiki, possibly in collaboration with other fusion groups such as PPPL.  In the mean time, this is an excellent place to develop material related to alternative fusion approaches, advanced fuel fusion, aneutronic fusion and the LPP Experiment.

Thanks for your contribution!

Compare our approach to the CPEP Fusion Charts and workbook.

Underlying Mysteries of the particles. Do we dare look behind the curtain? The CPEP Fundamental Particles chart - tries to explain. Should we stick with electrons, protons, neutrons? Or go down as far as quarks, muons, gluons? At least we should refer to it. Fusion straddles those mysteries. People always ask what a hadron collider is.

E=mc2 - how this relates to energy from chemical reactions; vs. nuclear reactions. (Chemical fuel vs. nuclear fuel efficiency)

Why nuclear energy has much more power than chemical energy (nuclear forces v. chemical). CPEP does this, too. As does MacKay. Puts fuel volumes in perspective.

What are neutrons? Ubiquitous. vs. flying around solo wreaking havoc. The ingredient in atomic isotopes. Neutron stars are very dense.

What are protons and electrons. Implications. Electric nature. Nuclear v. chemical forces (Why don’t electrons crash into protons?)

What are isotopes? (H, D, T, He3)

The valley of Iron. Lighter particles fuse, heavier particles fizz. Iron is the most stable. Good setup for periodic chart and comparison on nuclear v. chemical relationships

Periodic chart. Chemical info, nuclear info. (atomic number v. electron shells)

Stardust: The heavier elements and how they were formed (mega fusion supernova)

Implications for availability of fuel in universe. 75% of universe is hydrogen. 23% Helium. Lots of light stuff. On earth, .00086% of crust is Boron. .00018% is Uranium. .00060 is Thorium.

Nuclear energy: Fission: chain reactions, rogue neutrons.

Nuclear fuel chart, from the banalest evil to the holiest grail (Plutonium enriching fission through Bill Gates fission and Thorium, through DT fusion to aneutronic fusion). Ranking, keeping score. Supporting research up the line. NIMBY considerations. Other applications.

Neutron energy by reaction.

Nuclear fusion: DT, more energy than fission, less radiation. Products.

Aneutronic nuclear fuel - the options.

pB11 fuel

Electron volts. Chemical vs. nuclear temperatures. 100 eVs?

Q: What is Q? Develop the ultimate energy Q chart: The base Q of various fuels and how we can measure/compare across fuels, but also how our technology for harnessing energy introduces various inefficiencies, and how these affect practical Q. Also how various energy sources lose or gain efficiency at various stages of energy harvest.

What is radiation?

Radiation in perspective. Comparing toxicity with chemicals, other risks (getting hit by a car vs. by ____ neutrons over ___ years). Chances of each.

Radiation Chart - use xkcd chart and next big future deaths per twh - add in more detail about fusion and also add in other energy sources. Lifetime cancer threats from coal plants, etc.

He3, the moon, our impending Helium shortage.

Lawrenceville Plasma Physics (LPP) (@LPPX on twitter) is a private corporation conducting proof-of-concept experiments (“X”) to show the feasibility of Focus Fusion.

The Focus Fusion Society (“FFS”) has been documenting the LPPX since September of 2009.

What is the relationship of FFS and LPP?