Researchers develop 'Thunderbird Reactor' to study cold fusion
A group of researchers at the University of British Columbia, led by Curtis Berlinguette, has given cold fusion a fresh look with their new "Thunderbird Reactor."
Their recent study in Nature shows this reactor uses palladium and clever techniques like ion implantation and electrochemical loading to trigger tiny bursts of nuclear activity—producing neutron emissions, even if it's just a billionth of a watt.
The Thunderbird Reactor
The Thunderbird Reactor mixes elements from plasma thrusters, vacuum chambers, and electrochemical cells to pack deuterium ions into palladium.
Even though its power output is super low, it reliably produces neutron emissions (about 130-140 counts per second), which means fusion is actually happening.
The team hopes that trying out other metals and plasma sources could make future experiments even more promising.