Turning base metals into gold has long been the dream of alchemists. But now, that dream is inching closer to reality.
The physical processes that transform one element into another are well understood and have been tested for decades in particle colliders. The problem is cost: producing gold this way can be astronomically expensive while yields stay tiny.
The California startup Marathon Fusion has proposed a very different approach. The team used simulations of neutron radiation in a digital twin of a thermonuclear reactor to convert mercury-198 into mercury-197. The unstable mercury-197 then decayed into a stable isotope of gold, gold-197.
This decay involves a single subatomic particle transforming into multiple lighter particles. The Marathon Fusion team calculated that a thermonuclear power plant could produce several tons of gold per gigawatt of thermal power in a single year of operation.
The key is having neutrons energetic enough to initiate the conversion. If that can be achieved, the technology would be a major scientific breakthrough. But will it be profitable? That remains to be seen.
What Did the Inventors Report?
To extract gold from mercury, a high neutron flux (a measure of neutron radiation intensity) is required. That flux can be produced using a standard fusion fuel mix—deuterium and tritium, both isotopes of hydrogen.
Neutrons penetrate matter easily and, as they slow, scatter off atomic nuclei. To convert mercury-198 into gold, neutrons with energies above about 6 million electron volts are necessary, according to ScienceAlert.
For their work, Marathon Fusion uses a digital twin of a thermonuclear reactor: a computer model that simulates the fusion reaction and the radioactive processes that follow.
Before researchers can build a commercial thermonuclear reactor, they must overcome many challenges, including developing new materials, learning how to manage a system that continuously generates energy, and creating AI systems to help sustain the fusion plasma.
But There Are Some Caveats
In theory, a thermonuclear reactor could turn mercury into gold. In practice, though, Marathon Fusion’s results from a digital twin remain untested until a working commercial fusion reactor exists.
Any gold made in a thermonuclear reactor would initially be radioactive. Experts told The Times they expect it could take 14 to 18 years before that material is safe for use.
Physicists also warn that digital twins can miss important physical effects and critical nuances in real experiments.
Processing gold-197 into usable, pure gold could present another challenge. Still, that hurdle is unlikely to deter long-term investors.
For now, the idea looks attractive on paper. But it may not be long before a new kind of gold rush begins in California.
Photo: pixabay.com
