Using 21st-century technology, hydrogen fusion requires temperatures around 108 K. But, lower initial temperatures are used if the hydrogen is compressed. In the late 24th century, the starship Leinad uses such methods to fuse hydrogen at 106 K. (a) What is the kinetic energy of an H atom at 1.003106 K? (b) How many H atoms are heated to 1.003106 K from the energy of one H and one anti-H atom annihilating each other? (c) If the heated H atoms of part (b) fuse into 4 He atoms (with the loss of two positrons per 4 He formed), how much energy (in J) is generated? (d) How much more energy is generated by the fusion in (c) than by the hydrogen-antihydrogen collision in (b)? (e) Should the captain of the Leinad change the technology and produce 3 He (mass = 3.01603 amu) instead of 4 He?
Using 21st-century technology, hydrogen fusion requires temperatures around 108 K. But, lower initial temperatures are used if the hydrogen is compressed. In the late 24th century, the starship Leinad uses such methods to fuse hydrogen at 106 K. (a) What is the kinetic energy of an H atom at 1.003106 K? (b) How many H atoms are heated to 1.003106 K from the energy of one H and one anti-H atom annihilating each other? (c) If the heated H atoms of part (b) fuse into 4 He atoms (with the loss of two positrons per 4 He formed), how much energy (in J) is generated? (d) How much more energy is generated by the fusion in (c) than by the hydrogen-antihydrogen collision in (b)? (e) Should the captain of the Leinad change the technology and produce 3 He (mass = 3.01603 amu) instead of 4 He?
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