Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl
But you can detonate a pure fusion device without a fissionable element because it is not thermonuclear.
|
I have 2 things to say about the above statement. The first is that it is not yet proven that you can initiate a significant "pure" fusion explosion at this time. The second is that such fusion will always be thermonuclear because it is being initiated by heat.
Fusion without heat would require something like meson catalysis and we don't have a miraculous source of mesons right now.
I'm generally familiar with aneutronic fusion reactions being a veteran of Transhuman Space but the even in that setting's 2100 AD the fusion pulse drives they use are still quite optimistic and still not useful for launching from Earth's surface. They definitely not something we could have today if we'd spent just a little bit more money.