Thermonuclear reaction - reaction of synthesis of heavier atomic kernels from more lungs. There are two ways of its implementation - explosive and operated. Explosive it is realized in a hydrogen bomb, operated - in fusion reactors.
Thermonuclear reaction belongs to the category nuclear, but, unlike the last, in it there is an education process, but not destructions. Today the science developed two options of carrying out thermonuclear synthesis – explosive thermonuclear synthesis and the operated thermonuclear synthesis.
Coulomb barrier or why people did not blow up yet
Atomic kernels bear a positive charge. It means that at their rapprochement the pushing away force which is inversely proportional to a distance square between kernels begins to work. However strong interaction, leading to merge of atomic kernels begins to act on a certain distance which is equal to 0.000,000,000,001 cm.
The enormous amount of energy is as a result emitted. That distance which interferes with merge of kernels is called a Coulomb barrier, or a potential barrier. A condition under which it occurs - high temperature, about 1 billion degrees Celsius. At the same time any substance turns into plasma. The basic substances for implementation of thermonuclear reaction are the deuterium and tritium.
Explosive thermonuclear synthesis
Such way of carrying out thermonuclear reaction arose operated much earlier and was for the first time applied in a hydrogen bomb. The main exploding substance is the lithium deuteride. The bomb consists of the trigger – a plutonium charge with the amplifier and a container with thermonuclear fuel. At first the trigger with emission of an impulse of soft x-ray radiation explodes. A cover of the second step together with plastic filler absorb these radiations, heating up to high-temperature plasma which is under high pressure. The reactive draft which squeezes the volume of the second step is created, reducing internuclear distance in thousands of times. At the same time thermonuclear reaction does not happen. The final stage is nuclear explosion of a plutonium core which starts nuclear reaction. The deuteride of lithium reacts with neutrons with formation of tritium.
The operated thermonuclear synthesis
The operated thermonuclear synthesis is possible because special types of reactors are used. As fuel serves the deuterium, tritium, isotopes of helium, lithium, a pine forest-11. Reactors: 1) The reactor based on creation of a quasistationary system in which plasma is kept by magnetic field. 2) The reactor on the basis of a pulse system. In these reactors the small targets containing a deuterium and tritium quickly heat a heavy-duty stream of particles or the laser.