FUSION ENERGYAND ITSIMPACT

On Monday, December 5th, 2022, scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) created what has been named one of the most impressive feats in the 21st century: the first successful fusion ignition experiment in the world. This scientific breakthrough could pave the way for the future of clean power and other advanced technologies. The vision of generating electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions was sought for over 60 years, but it was only this month that this vision had a real chance at becoming a reality.

deal of energy, much more than other reactions. Experts focus on DT fusions mostly because they release large amounts of energy, and because they occur at a lower temperature than most elements.

The Evolution of Fusion Energy

How Does Fusion Energy Work?

Fusion is a nuclear reaction made up of two atoms to create two or more new atoms, just with less total mass. The difference of said mass is released as energy. During nuclear fusion reactions, two light nuclei merge to form a single heavier nucleus. The process releases energy because the total mass of the resulting single nucleus is less than the mass of the two nuclei before the fusion. The leftover mass becomes energy. What is truly interesting is that Einstein's famous equation, (E=mc2), is what makes the excess energy possible. While the equipment needed for this process is expensive, scientists are most interested in deuterium-tritium fusion reactions, because they release a neutron and helium nucleus. It also releases a great

During the 1960s, a group of scientists at LLNL theorized that lasers could potentially induce fusion in a laboratory setting. That idea eventually led to inertial confinement fusion, resulting in countless decades of laser research, optics, diagnostics, target fabrication, computer modeling/simulation, and experimental design. This also involved constructing a plethora of complicatedly powerful laser systems, which on May 29, 1997, led to the creation of the National Ignition Facility, or the NIF, located in LLNL in Livermore, California. NIF is the largest and most energy-packed laser system in the world. This system is the size of a sports stadium and uses concentrated laser beams to create temperatures and pressures that imitate that of the cores of stars and large planets, along with exploding nuclear weapons. 25 entire years later, the first successful nuclear fusion was born. With all of the present circumstances regarding energy, nuclear fusion could change the game.