I guess to overcome electron degeneracy pressure. Nucleus would collide more easily when electrons are stripped away. Not sure if i am conpletely true though
Heat means more vibrations, which means less density and more force needed to compress the matter to the same density. Just compare any solid material to plasma. Or the 100 million kelvin plasma at ITER, which has an absurdly low density (like a high vacuum) but still 1 bar of pressure due to the thermal pressure.
Electron degeneracy pressure is always present when there are electrons, regardless if they are part of an atom or free moving in a plasma.
Higher heat also means more violent collisions. It would be much harder to collide nucleus by just pressing it. But yeah maybe with even more pressure it might happen but nuclear reactions usually happen with high speed collisions.
When electrons are bound to nucleus, it may prevent collision by having an additional layer causing degeneracy pressure between two colliding nucleus. That won’t happen if electrons are unbounded to nucleus. Atleast that’s what i imagine
But you are right regarding the thermal energy making fusions easier, which can happen at any pressure or density with enough velocity. At this point I am not even sure which of the 2 approaches (cold and far denser or hot and far less dense) would be “easier”, where we would have to first define what easier would actually be…
I am thinking, that when ionised, electron pressure only holds electrons away but does not prevent nuclear collisions because they are unbounded to electrons. But when not ionised, atoms are being pused together with electron repulsion holding back the nucleus.
I also doubt if the furnace is cold and high pressure, overcoming electron degeneracy pressure causes inverse beta decay and turns the thing into a neutron star? Then you wouldn’t get new elements but a pile of neutrons?
In stars, nuclear reactions happen at high temperatures and pressure and at death stage of a massive star(becoming a neutron star), all the electron degeneracy pressure is overcame by gravity and the same inverse beta decay happens and protons and electrons combine to give massive pile of neutrons.
If you think of a bunch of solid atoms(low temp) put in high pressure, why would nucleus react anyway? Nucleus are bound by electrons and are not able to collide with other nucleus in that state. Electrons need to combine into the nucleus with high pressure. For the case of hot plasma, nucleus are able to move through the electrons and react. You don’t need to overcome electron degeneracy pressure for that.
(I think i said things that i earlier said i’m not sure about, but this is a bit more thoughtful response while others were sent in a hurry mind)
Electron repulsion is irrelevant compared to the energies needed for fusion. It only takes a few eV to throw electrons out orbit, since they are so far away from the nucleus. On the other hand, a nucleus itself would be attracted to these electrons equally much approaching them and passing them, resulting in a net 0 effect.
The electrostatic effect of the 2 positive nuclei repelling is WAY larger due to the extremely small distances needed for fusion.
What about the inverse beta decay thing? If electrons are also being compressed it should end up becoming neutrons right?
Electron repulsion might be irrelevant but being bound to electrons isn’t. Electrons aren’t being thrown out of the orbit here since its cold. It’s getting squished into.
(I also disagree with the net zero claim, due to the sheilding effect of outer electrons, but still that too is irrelevant so np)
Its harder but its necessary i guess. For ionisation
Why? What for?
I guess to overcome electron degeneracy pressure. Nucleus would collide more easily when electrons are stripped away. Not sure if i am conpletely true though
Heat means more vibrations, which means less density and more force needed to compress the matter to the same density. Just compare any solid material to plasma. Or the 100 million kelvin plasma at ITER, which has an absurdly low density (like a high vacuum) but still 1 bar of pressure due to the thermal pressure.
Electron degeneracy pressure is always present when there are electrons, regardless if they are part of an atom or free moving in a plasma.
Higher heat also means more violent collisions. It would be much harder to collide nucleus by just pressing it. But yeah maybe with even more pressure it might happen but nuclear reactions usually happen with high speed collisions.
When electrons are bound to nucleus, it may prevent collision by having an additional layer causing degeneracy pressure between two colliding nucleus. That won’t happen if electrons are unbounded to nucleus. Atleast that’s what i imagine
The electron pressure is always there.
But you are right regarding the thermal energy making fusions easier, which can happen at any pressure or density with enough velocity. At this point I am not even sure which of the 2 approaches (cold and far denser or hot and far less dense) would be “easier”, where we would have to first define what easier would actually be…
I am thinking, that when ionised, electron pressure only holds electrons away but does not prevent nuclear collisions because they are unbounded to electrons. But when not ionised, atoms are being pused together with electron repulsion holding back the nucleus.
I also doubt if the furnace is cold and high pressure, overcoming electron degeneracy pressure causes inverse beta decay and turns the thing into a neutron star? Then you wouldn’t get new elements but a pile of neutrons?
In stars, nuclear reactions happen at high temperatures and pressure and at death stage of a massive star(becoming a neutron star), all the electron degeneracy pressure is overcame by gravity and the same inverse beta decay happens and protons and electrons combine to give massive pile of neutrons.
If you think of a bunch of solid atoms(low temp) put in high pressure, why would nucleus react anyway? Nucleus are bound by electrons and are not able to collide with other nucleus in that state. Electrons need to combine into the nucleus with high pressure. For the case of hot plasma, nucleus are able to move through the electrons and react. You don’t need to overcome electron degeneracy pressure for that.
(I think i said things that i earlier said i’m not sure about, but this is a bit more thoughtful response while others were sent in a hurry mind)
Electron repulsion is irrelevant compared to the energies needed for fusion. It only takes a few eV to throw electrons out orbit, since they are so far away from the nucleus. On the other hand, a nucleus itself would be attracted to these electrons equally much approaching them and passing them, resulting in a net 0 effect.
The electrostatic effect of the 2 positive nuclei repelling is WAY larger due to the extremely small distances needed for fusion.
What about the inverse beta decay thing? If electrons are also being compressed it should end up becoming neutrons right?
Electron repulsion might be irrelevant but being bound to electrons isn’t. Electrons aren’t being thrown out of the orbit here since its cold. It’s getting squished into.
(I also disagree with the net zero claim, due to the sheilding effect of outer electrons, but still that too is irrelevant so np)