Scientists in the USA have made a historic breakthrough in the field of nuclear fusion. For the first time, the fusion of atomic nuclei has produced more energy than consumed, as US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced in Washington on Tuesday. “Simply put, this is one of the most impressive scientific achievements of the 21st century.”
The results, obtained by a research team at the state’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, mark a milestone in unlocking a new energy source. In a few years, nuclear fusion could possibly be used to generate large amounts of electricity in a climate-neutral and safe manner. However, there is still a long way to go before mass production is possible due to major technical barriers that remain.
Almost a year ago, developments in nuclear fusion were announced at the institute. A research team reported earlier in the year in the journal “Nature” that the plasma ignited. This ultimately results in the fusion reaction being self-sustaining. In a nuclear fusion reactor, the fuel is in the form of plasma – this agglomeration state is created when a gas is superheated.
Both nuclear power and nuclear fusion derive energy from the binding forces of the atomic nucleus. But with nuclear energy, large atoms are broken up, radioactive waste is produced, among other things, and there is a serious risk of accident. On the other hand, in nuclear fusion, small atomic nuclei are fused – fused – into larger ones – the technology is considered clean and safe. This form of energy production is similar to what happens in stars like the sun.
In their experiments, researchers in California used the world’s most powerful laser system to convert small amounts of heavy and extremely heavy hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) into plasma at a temperature of about one million degrees. In this process, many laser beams heat the inside of a container a few millimeters in size. (SDA)