Cold fusion prospects

The requirements for cold fusion may include, but are not limited to the following: a nuclear mass-energy resonance with an excitation level in the compound nucleus or in two output nuclei; very high density; a large neutron capture cross-section isotope and a neutron-rich isotope; overlapping de Broglie interaction wavelengths; nuclear spin and polarizability compatibility; and/or catalytic action by a passing electron, neutron, or gamma ray. The most notable nuclear mass-energy resonance is D+T=⁵He* (16.70 MeV), which occurs 60 keV below the 16.76-MeV excitation stage in ⁵He* and has a maximum cross-section of 5 b at 60-keV center-of-mass energy of D+T. However, the level width is 100 keV,±50 keV, so that perhaps some cold fusion of D+T could be produced at very low energies in dense media. High density enhances the reaction rate. It has been estimated that pycnonuclear fusion of D+T and D+D can ignite at densities of 10 ⁴ and 10⁵ g/cm³, respectively. Other prospects (including the cold fusion of D+D) are discussed