Why in the News?

Cold fusion reaction, once dismissed after failed 1989 claims, is back in discussion as US-based researchers report neutron production from their small “Thunderbird Reactor.”

What is Cold Fusion Reaction?

• Overview: A proposed way to achieve nuclear fusion at room temperature, unlike conventional fusion which needs extremely high heat (100 million °C or more).
• How it started: In 1989, two chemists, Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons, said their palladium-heavy water experiment created more heat than normal chemistry allows.
• Problem: Other scientists could not reproduce the result. No clear evidence of fusion products (like neutrons or helium) was found. The claim was dismissed, but the idea stayed alive.
• Why interest remains: If proven, cold fusion could provide limitless, clean, and cheap energy. Research in this area is now called Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR).

About the Thunderbird Reactor (2025)

• Inception: Scientists led by Curtis Berlinguette, University of British Columbia, published in Nature (Aug 2025).
• Why built: Not to make electricity, but to test if chemistry can affect nuclear reactions.
• How it works:
  • A plasma thruster shoots deuterium ions (a form of hydrogen) at a palladium metal target.
  • At the same time, an electrochemical cell pushes more deuterium into the palladium.
  • This builds up a very high density of deuterium inside the metal, making fusion more likely.
  • A neutron detector checks if fusion really happens.

Key Findings:

• Neutrons detected: When deuterium ions hit palladium, about 130–140 neutrons per second were observed (much higher than background levels).
• Electrolysis boost: Adding extra deuterium through electrolysis increased the neutron count further.
• Energy output: The reaction only produced a tiny amount of power (one-billionth of a watt) while consuming 15 watts of electricity. No net energy gain yet.

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