The fusion-fission hybrid will use high-energy neutrons produced by a fusion reaction to trigger fission in surrounding materials thereby boosting energy output and potentially reducing long-lived nuclear waste.

    • eleitl@lemm.ee
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      11 hours ago

      No, we do this in a fusion weapon. Half of its energy output is from fast neutron fission of the uranium tamper.

    • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Not that I’m aware of. All our nuclear commercial power plants are just plain old nuclear energy boiling water. We’re gonna use a damn Dyson Sphere to boil water…

      We have bombs that use a similar starting mechanism, but they aren’t exactly useful energy production.

      • peoplebeproblems@midwest.social
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        1 day ago

        I meant that we use neutron breeders to turn certain fuel rod waste into fissile plutonium I think.

        The difference with the Chinese invention is that you don’t need to transport the waste to a separate breeder.

      • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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        1 day ago

        Isn’t a Dyson Sphere supposed to use solar panels? I don’t know how you would find enough water to cover the interior of an object with the radius of the Earth

        • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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          10 hours ago

          It was a joke. We have invented fission and fusion, but the reactors are still attached it to a Rankine Cycle.

          Also, the radius would be considerably larger than the sun. Perhaps not encapsulating The Earth, but that seems like a potential death sentence, if we built a Dyson Sphere rather than a Dyson Swarm