Muon-catalyzed fusion

Common card · No. 305125

Muon-catalyzed fusion (abbreviated μCF or MCF) is a process that allows nuclear fusion to occur at temperatures significantly lower than those needed for thermonuclear fusion, even at room temperature or lower. It is one of the few known ways to catalyze nuclear fusion reactions. Muons are unstable subatomic particles that are similar to electrons but 207 times more massive. If a muon replaces one of the electrons in a hydrogen molecule, the nuclei are consequently drawn 186 times closer than in a normal molecule, due to the reduced mass being 186 times the mass of an electron. When the nuclei move closer together, the fusion probability increases, to the point where a significant number of fusion events can occur at room temperature. Methods for obtaining muons, however, require far more energy than can be produced by the resulting fusion reactions. Muons have a mean lifetime of 2.2 μs, much longer than that of many other subatomic particles but nevertheless far too brief to allow their...

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