Nuclear binding-energy difference → Electrical work

Matrix context

D = disequilibrium row · C = coupling family column. A cell reads the state of the atlas for that pair.

D.20 × C.27 · Nuclear binding-energy difference × Nuclear heatfamily: Nuclear heatD.20 × C.01 · Nuclear binding-energy difference × Thermoelectricfamily: Thermoelectric

Typed bounds on this route

Every limit the atlas holds for this route, as constraint records: reached through bounded_by claims on the route's own entities. Hard bounds (an upper bound or a formula) decide the thermodynamic-bound check above; benchmarks, constitutive relations and resource limits are listed and never decisive. No prose limit exists anywhere (pass 42).

• Carnot limit · formula-bound · hard, applies to this route
  η ≤ 1 − T_c/T_h for any heat engine between reservoirs at T_h and T_c

Steps

1. 01
   Nuclear binding-energy difference —drives→ Nuclear fusiondemonstratedclaim record

   nuclear → kinetic · loss to radiative

   • for a power-producing D–T thermonuclear plasma: ion temperatures of order 10 keV and a sufficient density–confinement product (Lawson); these are power-balance conditions, not prerequisites for an individual fusion reaction

   plasma · above ~700 K

   Fusion reactions and target-level fusion energy release are experimentally demonstrated (target gain > 1 at NIF, 2022–2024); net electrical output from a fusion power plant is not.

   refs [1] [2] [3]
2. 02
   Nuclear fusion —produces→ Temperature gradientdemonstratedclaim record

   kinetic → thermal · loss to radiative

   • energetic products (neutrons, alphas) deposit their kinetic energy in a blanket or the plasma, which then runs hotter than its surroundings

   refs [2] [3]
3. 03
   Temperature gradient —drives→ Heat conductionestablishedclaim record

   thermal → thermal

   q = −κ · ∇T · thermal conductivity κ [W/(m K)]

   refs [4]
4. 04
   Heat conduction —produces→ Phononsestablishedclaim record

   thermal → phonon

   • in an electrically insulating or semiconducting solid the heat current is carried by phonons

   solid

   refs [5]
5. 05
   Phonons —drives→ Phonon dragestablishedclaim record

   phonon → electrical · loss to thermal

   • a phonon heat current in a semiconductor at low temperature

   solid · semiconductor required · cryogenic

   Phonon drag is a component of the same conductor's Seebeck coefficient, not a second converter in series with it: Yalamarthy et al. 2019 attribute up to 32 % (300 K) and 88 % (50 K) of the Seebeck coefficient of a thick AlGaN/GaN 2DEG to drag. The compiler therefore treats the heat-conduction → phonon-drag spelling as representation-equivalent to the thermoelectric generator.

   refs [6] [7] [8]
6. 06
   Phonon drag —produces→ Charge carriersestablishedclaim record

   electrical → electrical

   refs [6] [7]
7. 07
   Charge carriers —converts into→ Electrical workestablishedclaim record

   electrical → electrical · loss to thermal

   • carriers driven through an external load at the potential difference the source maintains

   refs [9]

Evidence for the complete composition · 0

No source on record for this exact composition. The sources below support the individual steps, not the route as a whole.

Evidence for the constituent relations · 9

1. [1]
   H. A. Bethe. Energy production in stars (1939)

   Physical Review 55, 434 · doi:10.1103/PhysRev.55.434 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
2. [2]
   J. D. Lawson. Some criteria for a power producing thermonuclear reactor (1957)

   Proceedings of the Physical Society B 70, 6–10 · doi:10.1088/0370-1301/70/1/303 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
3. [3]
   H. Abu-Shawareb, et al. (Indirect Drive ICF Collaboration). Achievement of target gain larger than unity in an inertial fusion experiment (2024)

   Physical Review Letters 132, 065102 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.065102 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
4. [4]
   A. Bejan. Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics (4th ed.) (2016)

   Wiley · doi:10.1002/9781119245964 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
5. [5]
   C. Kittel. Introduction to Solid State Physics (8th ed.) (2005)

   Wiley · book, no DOI · record
6. [6]
   C. Herring. Theory of the thermoelectric power of semiconductors (1954)

   Physical Review 96, 1163 · doi:10.1103/PhysRev.96.1163 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
7. [7]
   H. J. Goldsmid. Introduction to Thermoelectricity (2nd ed.) (2016)

   Springer Series in Materials Science 121 · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-49256-7 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
8. [8]
   A. S. Yalamarthy et al.. Significant Phonon Drag Enables High Power Factor in the AlGaN/GaN Two-Dimensional Electron Gas (2019)

   Nano Letters 19, 3770–3776 · doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b00901 · record
9. [9]
   N. W. Ashcroft, N. D. Mermin. Solid State Physics (1976)

   Holt, Rinehart and Winston · book, no DOI · record