TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancement of nuclear tunneling through Coulomb-barriers using molecular cages
AU - Segal, Dvira
AU - Seideman, Tamar
AU - Kurizki, Gershon
AU - Shapiro, Moshe
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was supported by the Feinberg graduate school of the Weizmann Institute.
PY - 2006/3/10
Y1 - 2006/3/10
N2 - We present an electrostatic mechanism that gives rise to dramatic enhancements of tunneling through the inter-nuclear Coulomb-barrier. The enhancement is due to an increase in the effective negative electric charge in the mid region between two protons (deutrons) belonging to an H2+ (D2+) molecule placed inside a molecular cage, such as a fullerene molecule. This charge increase results in a marked reduction of the outer regions of the Coulomb-barrier, thereby dramatically increasing the nuclear tunneling rates. Coupled with compression of the molecular cage this effect may lead to meaningful enhancements in fusion rates.
AB - We present an electrostatic mechanism that gives rise to dramatic enhancements of tunneling through the inter-nuclear Coulomb-barrier. The enhancement is due to an increase in the effective negative electric charge in the mid region between two protons (deutrons) belonging to an H2+ (D2+) molecule placed inside a molecular cage, such as a fullerene molecule. This charge increase results in a marked reduction of the outer regions of the Coulomb-barrier, thereby dramatically increasing the nuclear tunneling rates. Coupled with compression of the molecular cage this effect may lead to meaningful enhancements in fusion rates.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.cplett.2005.12.076
DO - 10.1016/j.cplett.2005.12.076
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33344467633
SN - 0009-2614
VL - 420
SP - 241
EP - 244
JO - Chemical Physics Letters
JF - Chemical Physics Letters
IS - 1-3
ER -