2025/10/08 by Najbauer, Joseph
#Condensed Matter Physics #FOS: Physical sciences #Nuclear #Physical Sciences and Mathematics #Physics #Quantum Enhanced Fusion Superatoms Quantum tunneling Entanglement Fusion energy Nanoscience Quantum information Speculative physics #Quantum Physics
paper · doi:10.17605/osf.io/kmc8p
Preprint — October 2025. This manuscript is a publicly archived hypothesis paper, assigned a DOI for citation and scholarly priority. 🔹 Abstract Background Nuclear fusion is widely regarded as a potential source of clean, abundant energy, but conventional approaches require extreme temperatures and pressures to overcome the Coulomb barrier. Alternative pathways that exploit quantum phenomena have been proposed, yet remain speculative and underexplored. Hypothesis This manuscript introduces the framework of Quantum‑Enhanced Fusion (QEF), which posits that three mechanisms may act in concert to lower the effective fusion barrier: Superatom catalysis — nanoclusters with collective electronic states that enhance electron screening. Quantum tunneling — nuclei penetrating the Coulomb barrier with higher probability under modified conditions. Entanglement‑mediated synchronization — correlated nuclear states that may increase wavefunction overlap and tunneling likelihood. Together, these effects could enable fusion at lower energies than conventional plasma‑based methods. Implications The QEF hypothesis is presented as a conceptual framework rather than an experimentally validated model. Its purpose is to stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue across physics, nanoscience, neuroscience, and philosophy of science. By archiving this work with a DOI, the aim is to establish priority, invite critique, and encourage collaborative refinement of the ideas.