Nuclear fusion edges closer to reality with Curtin University research

A group of researchers from Curtin University in Western Australia have developed a database of electron-molecule reactions which is seen as a major step forward in making nuclear fusion power a reality.

Despite occasional ridicule and dismissal by critics, scientists around the world are pushing to finally deliver on the promise of creating an almost inexhaustible source of energy through nuclear fusion.

The basic premise of nuclear fusion is the promise of creating enough controlled fusion reactions such that the process becomes self-sustaining through the heat of the reaction itself rather than the input of added energy.

However, achieving “ignition” currently rests out of reach for scientists, and critics point to the mammoth costs needed to run these research programs, and claim that the funding could be better used to fund cheaper, quicker, and proven renewable technologies such as wind and solar.

Curtin University’s new database of electron-molecule reactions was developed by a team of researchers, led by PhD candidate and Forrest Scholar Liam Scarlett from the Theoretical Physics Group in Curtin’s School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences.

The new research, published in the journal Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables, modelled electron-molecule collisions which will allow researchers to accurately model plasmas containing molecular hydrogen.

According to Scarlett, his calculations and the resulting collision database will play a crucial role in the development of fusion technology. “Our electron-molecule collision modelling is an exciting step in the global push to develop fusion power – a new, clean electricity source,” said Scarlett.

“Fusion is the nuclear reaction which occurs when atoms collide and fuse together, releasing huge amounts of energy. This process is what powers the Sun, and recreating it on Earth requires detailed knowledge of the different types of collisions which take place in the fusion plasma – that’s where my research comes in.

“We developed mathematical models and computer codes and utilised the Perth-based Pawsey Supercomputing Centre to calculate the probabilities of different reactions taking place during collisions with molecules. The molecules we looked at here are those which are formed from atoms of hydrogen and its isotopes, as they play an important role in fusion reactors.

“Until now the available data was incomplete, however our molecular collision modelling has produced an accurate and comprehensive database of more than 60,000 electron-molecule reaction probabilities which, for the first time, has allowed a team in Germany to create an accurate model for molecular hydrogen in the ITER plasma.

“This is significant because their model will be used to predict how the plasma will radiate, leading to a better understanding of the plasma physics, and the development of diagnostic tools which are vital for controlling the fusion reaction.”

Scarlett’s research is supplying data to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) – one of the largest scientific projects in the world aimed at developing fusion technology for electricity production on Earth. Still, achieving this is still considered to be decades away.

Funded by the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research as part of an international research endeavour to harness fusion power as a future energy source, Scarlett’s research also involved research supervisor and co-author Professor Dmitry Fursa, from Curtin’s School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences.