Departmental Seminar

Environmentally Clean and Economic Energy by Boron Fusion with Peta-Exawatt Laser Pulses

Professor Heinrich Hora
Department of Theoretical Physics, UNSW, Sydney

In cooperation with
Prof. Parakevas Lalousis, Institute of Electronic Structure and Lasers FORTH, Heraklion, Greece,
and Prof. Gordon Godfrey, Visiting Professor, University of NSW, Sydney

The fundamental nonlinearities at laser interaction were opened by realizing that high intensities are dominating over gas-dynamic pressures through generalized nonlinear forces given by dielectric plasma properties from Maxwell’s stress tensor [1]. This theoretical result of non-thermal ultrahigh acceleration of space-charge neutral plasma blocks consisting in an ablation as a non-thermal dielectric explosion was measured as predicted [2] based on Chirped Pulse Amplification CPA [3] for application to many new phenomena in basic physics and a low cost clean energy by fusion [4] by the new boron-11 avalanche reaction [5]. The avalanche reaction uses a special plasma state for elastic ion collisions  at 600 keV. This includes an economic conversion of the resulting energy of alpha particles (helium) into electric power where the nonlinear force driven ultrahigh acceleration of the plasma bocks to velocities above several 1000km/s velocities is essential. Cylindrical trapping by few kilo-Tesla magnetic fields is needed and the avalanche reaction is based on the measurement of strongly increased reaction gains [5][6]. Electrostatic conversion of the energy of alpha particles in electric power arrives at economic reactor designs. The boron laser fusion may open a radically new option for clean and low cost energy generation to solve the global environment problem.

[1] H. Hora, 1981 Physics of Laser Driven Plasmas, Wiley New York 1981, Figs. 10.17 a&b.

[2] R. Sauerbrey, Physics of Plasmas 3, 4712 (1996).

[3] G. Mourou, C.P.L. Barty & M.D. Perry, Physics Today 51 No.1, 22 (1998)

[4] Lalousis, P., H. Hora, S. Eliezer, J.-M. Martinez-Val, Moustaizis, G.H. Miley & G. Mourou, Phys. Letters A377, 885 (2013)

[5] Hora, H., G. Korn, L.Giuffrida, D. Margarone, A. Picciotto, J. Krasa, K. Jungwirth, J. Ullschmied, P. Lalousis, S. Eliezer, G.H. Miley, S. Moustaizis & G. Mourou Laser and Particle Beams 33, 607 (2015) 

[6] Lalousis, P., H. Hora & S. Moustizis, Laser & Part. Beams 32, 409 (2014)

Date & time

Wed 10 Feb 2016, 10.30am–12pm

Location

RSPE Seminar Room

Audience

Staff, students and public welcome

Contact

(02)61254637