🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <Bz30J3.BrD@helios.physics.utoronto.ca> neufeld@helios.physics.utoronto.ca (Christopher Neufeld) writes:
>In article <1992Dec8.024506.14647@news.media.mit.edu> pierre@media.mit.edu (Pierre St. Hilaire) writes:
>>
>>>Does gravity affect fusion reactions? If so, in what way.
>>
>>	No, it doesn't. Gravitational interactions are completely
>>negligible when compared to the strong interaction (responsible for
>>the fusion reaction itself) or the electromagnetic interaction
>>(responsible for the attraction/repulsion between charged particles).

>   Depending on the level of pedantry which this question requires, one
>could argue that the sun's fusion is extremely dependent on the existence
>of gravity. The force may be small between nucleons, but when 1E58 of
>them gang up they can make their presence known.

COLLECTIVE effects are often overlooked.  Another example is lifetimes
of energetic or relativistic particles that may exist in quasi stable 
magneto-plasma configurations.  The kinetic energy or magnetic energy
the average individual particle would not be sufficient to drive it
long against mildly dissipative low angle scattering collisions even in 
a slightly collisional plasma.  However, relativistic electron currents 
(carrying the bulk of the current) in a high field plasma have 
substantial (collective inductive) energy and consequently considerably 
extended lifetimes.  

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