Muon-catalyzed Fusion - in Culture

In Culture

The term "Cold Fusion" was coined in a 1956 New York Times article about Luis W. Alvarez's paper.

In 1957 Theodore Sturgeon wrote a short story "The Pod in The Barrier" where humanity has ubiquitous Cold Fusion reactors that work with muons, the reaction is "When Hydrogen One and Hydrogen Two are in the presence of Mu Mesons, they fuse into Helium Three, with an energy yield in electron volts of 5.4 times ten to the fifth power". Unlike the thermonuclear bomb contained in the Pod (which is used to destroy the Barrier) they can become temporarily disabled by "concentrated disbelief" that cold fusion works.

Read more about this topic:  Muon-catalyzed Fusion

Famous quotes containing the word culture:

    “Why is it so difficult to see the lesbian—even when she is there, quite plainly, in front of us? In part because she has been “ghosted”Mor made to seem invisible—by culture itself.... Once the lesbian has been defined as ghostly—the better to drain her of any sensual or moral authority—she can then be exorcised.”
    —Terry Castle, U.S. lesbian author. The Apparitional Lesbian, ch. 1 (1993)

    “He was one whose glory was an inner glory, one who placed culture above prosperity, fairness above profit, generosity above possessions, hospitality above comfort, courtesy above triumph, courage above safety, kindness above personal welfare, honor above success.”
    —Sarah Patton Boyle, U.S. civil rights activist and author. The Desegregated Heart, part 1, ch. 1 (1962)