Abstract

This article develops variational formulations for a chemical reaction corresponding to a hydrogen nuclear fusion. The results are obtained through standard tools of calculus of variations and optimization theory in function spaces. In such a chemical reaction, at an appropriate high temperature, a Deuterium ion reacts with a Tritium one resulting a Helium ion and an energetic neutron. We highlight such a reaction result of an energetic neutron field has a great variety of practical applications, including the possibility of clean electric energy production. Finally, we also emphasize in the last sections the results have been developed in an Eulerian context.