I got confused when I was researching about “neutron’s discovery in Chadwick’s experiment”. There was a nuclear equation said that when we bombard the alpha particles into beryllium, it will emits neutron particles as shown in this equation
$$\rm {^9Be} + \alpha(^4He) \to {^{12}C} + {^1n}$$
What I am confused about is, isn’t the equation above a nuclear fusion reaction? As far as I know, nuclear fusion reactions require really high energy like on the Sun, but this experiment happens in a laboratory. So I wonder if nuclear fusion reactions can happen in laboratory, why can’t we use it to produce clean energy?
Quantum Mechanics – Understanding Nuclear Fusion in Chadwick’s Experiment
fusionquantum mechanics
Best Answer
$\alpha$ particles, as emitted by radioactive nuclei, actually do have a quite high kinetic energy, typically around $5$ MeV (see Wikipedia - Alpha particle). This energy corresponds to a temperature of $6\cdot 10^{10}$ K, if you would want to produce such $\alpha$ particles just by heating helium gas.