On Mar 23, 2010, at 9:56 AM, OrionWorks - Steven V Johnson wrote:
A question for the Vort Collective: Does the use of the term "Fusion" HAVE to imply there must exist a mechanism or process that directly overcomes the Coulomb barrier - by brute force?
The term in question I think is "nuclear fusion". There are many definitions which do not mention the Coulomb barrier. However, it appears plasma fusion is often assumed.
http://www.google.com/search? hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&defl=en&q=define:nuclear+fusion&ei=tBapS- KiN4vesgOB-pmDAw&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAgQkAE
http://tinyurl.com/ygkw3lu http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861697321/nuclear_fusion.html http://tinyurl.com/yk5cjq8
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"nuclear fusion: nu·cle·ar fu·sion, noun, Definition: atomic combination that releases energy: the process in which light atoms such as those of hydrogen and deuterium combine and form heavier atoms, releasing a great amount of energy, which primarily manifests itself in the form of heat"
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nuclear+fusion"nuclear fusion n (Physics / Nuclear Physics) a reaction in which two nuclei combine to form a nucleus with the release of energy Sometimes shortened to fusion Compare nuclear fission See also thermonuclear reaction"
http://www.yourdictionary.com/nuclear-fusion"nuclear fusion: the fusion of lightweight atomic nuclei, as of tritium or deuterium, into a nucleus of heavier mass, as of helium, with a resultant loss in the combined mass, which is converted into energy: the principle of the hydrogen bomb"
http://space.about.com/od/glossaries/g/nuclearfusion.htm"Definition: nuclear fusion: A nuclear process whereby several small nuclei are combined to make a larger one whose mass is slightly smaller than the sum of the small ones"
Best regards, Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
