First of all, I'm an idiot and English isn't my native language, so please keep your answer(s) as simple as you can. Okay, moving on to the actual question: Can/could we fuse iron and how much energy does it take?
From what I understand is that when a massive star starts producing iron, it takes too much energy to fuse it and thus the pressure keeping the mass of the star from collapsing on itself vanishes. The resulting supernova can fuse heavy atoms into even heavier ones, all the way up to uranium and beyond.
Supernovas, however, are probably the most violently energetic things our known Universe has to offer. We're pretty good at fusing lighter elements together, but how much energy does it take to do the same to iron in comparison?
Pic: Hardtack Poplar, thermonuclear detonation, 9.3 MT.
From what I understand is that when a massive star starts producing iron, it takes too much energy to fuse it and thus the pressure keeping the mass of the star from collapsing on itself vanishes. The resulting supernova can fuse heavy atoms into even heavier ones, all the way up to uranium and beyond.
Supernovas, however, are probably the most violently energetic things our known Universe has to offer. We're pretty good at fusing lighter elements together, but how much energy does it take to do the same to iron in comparison?
Pic: Hardtack Poplar, thermonuclear detonation, 9.3 MT.
