Decades ago, those shortcomings inspired scientists to explore fusing protons with boron-11, a nucleus of five protons and six neutrons. The reaction produces no stray neutrons, and boron is much ...

A few hundred seconds after the great event, say Alpher & Herman, when the universe was filled with a gas made of protons, neutrons and smaller sub-atomic particles, its temperature was about i ...

Smashing protons into boron nuclei produces greatly increased energies. Nature ... containing two and three neutrons, respectively — to the point of initiating fusion.