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Pure Fusion Reactions

Dateline: 07/19/99

By Alan Bruzel

In thermonuclear weapons ("hydrogen bombs"), the X-ray energies generated by fissioning uranium-235 or plutonium-239 forcibly, and at high temperatures, compress a fusion fuel package. The resultant fusion reactions in this fuel, usually lithium deuteride, yield the awesome explosive powers associated with these devices.

Some disadvantages of such weapons include radioactive fallout (due to the fission reaction) and the expense of ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu (due to their scarcity and enrichment costs). A weapon that could ignite a fusion fuel using a compact, non-radioactive, non-fissioning energy source would be highly desirable. Such a pure fusion reaction would not only find military applications, but may result in a new commercial energy source, as well.

One approach, planned by the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the French Laser Megajoule project is to concentrate the energies from multiple lasers (192 laser beamlines are to be constructed at the NIF) onto a pellet made from the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium. The huge amount of delivered energy initiates fusion of the hydrogen isotopes into helium atoms plus energy. Peacetime applications would make use of the energy; military applications would take advantage of the explosive force of the fusion reaction and the lethality of the released high-energy neutrons.

Critics contend that the danger from weapons created with pure fusion technology outdistances any potential civilian uses. They further point out that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) forbids nuclear explosions. Proponents of laser fusion argue that their experiments are not designed to produce pure fusion weapons, and are not covered by CTBT provisions.

Recommended Web resources for additional information:

Fusion Arms May Make CTBT Obsolete
Article by Nirmala George in the Indian Express outlines India’s position vis-a-vis nuclear arms in the light of future pure fusion weapons.

Fusion Research Effort Draws Fire
Debates surrounding pure fusion technology. Article by William J. Broad for The New York Times.

Is the National Ignition Facility Legal under the Test-Ban Treaty?
Laser Focus World article by Vincent Kiernan covers US Administration’s belief that pure fusion research does not violate the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Letter to President Clinton
Hans A. Bethe writes his concerns about pure fusion weapons to President Clinton.

National Ignition Facility
US Department of Energy’s multibillion-dollar laser facility.

New Pure Fusion Nuclear Weapons Already Raising Major Issues
Article by Keay Davidson in the San Francisco Examiner.

Teller-Ulam Summary
Explanation of conventional thermonuclear weapon construction. From Nuclear Weapons Frequently Asked Questions by Carey Sublette in The High Energy Weapons Archive.

Test Ban Treaty Angles and Loopholes
Article by Mike Moore in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists discusses exempting pure fusion weapons from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

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