Page "Muon-catalyzed fusion" Paragraph 16

Once the muonic molecular ion state is formed, the shielding by the muon of the positive charges of the proton of the triton and the proton of the deuteron from each other allows the triton and the deuteron to move close enough together to fuse with alacrity.

The muon survives the d-t muon-catalyzed nuclear fusion reaction and remains available ( usually ) to catalyze further d-t muon-catalyzed nuclear fusions.

Each exothermic d-t nuclear fusion releases about 17. 6 MeV of energy in the form of a " very fast " neutron having a kinetic energy of about 14. 1 MeV and an alpha particle α ( a helium-4 nucleus ) with a kinetic energy of about 3. 5 MeV.

An additional 4. 8 MeV can be gleaned by having the fast neutrons moderated in a suitable " blanket " surrounding the reaction chamber, with the blanket containing lithium-6, whose nuclei, known by some as " lithions ," readily and exothermically absorb thermal neutrons, the lithium-6 being transmuted thereby into an alpha particle and a triton .< ref group =" note "> Using the difference between the known rest masses of the n and < sub > 3 </ sub > Li < sup > 6 </ sup > reactants, on the one hand, and the known rest masses of the α and t products, on the other, along with the conservation of momentum and the conservation of energy, the over-all energy release ( the Q-value ), as well as the respective non-relativistic or Galilean velocities and non-relativistic or Galilean kinetic energies of the α and t products may be readily calculated directly .</ ref >