This illustration provided by the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory depicts a target pellet inside a hohlraum capsule with laser beams entering through openings on either end. The beams compress and heat the target to the necessary conditions for nuclear fusion to occur. [Handout: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory via AP Photo]
Metropolis Desk-
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reports that American researchers have, twice since December, achieved net energy gains in fusion reactions as part of their search for a sustainable energy source.
A Lawrence Livermore spokeswoman stated on Sunday that researchers at the California-based lab replicated the fusion ignition breakthrough in an experiment on July 30 at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) that resulted in a larger energy yield than in December.
The representative stated that the final data are still being analyzed.
A large quantity of energy is produced when two lighter atomic nuclei combine to generate a heavier one in a nuclear fusion reaction. Scientists have been working to generate fusion on Earth for decades. They have known for about a century that fusion powers the sun and are searching for an endless supply of clean, safe energy to help slow global warming.
Fusion reaction technology has the potential to be used to generate power on an industrial scale.
It was “a major scientific breakthrough decade in the making that will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power,” according to the US Energy Department.
The energy was released when two light atoms fused to form a denser atom on a target of fuel with the help of a laser.
The Energy Department said that the experiment produced 3.15 megajoules of energy output after the laser delivered 2.05 megajoules to the target, temporarily achieving what is known as fusion ignition.
In other words, according to the department, it generated more energy via fusion than it did from the laser that powered it. The accomplishment will be a significant step forward, according to nuclear specialists outside the lab, but much more research must be done before fusion can be used commercially.
“I’m thrilled. The University of California, Los Angeles’ Troy Carter, a physics professor, told Reuters: “I do believe that fusion will play a significant role in our energy future.
Source- Al-Jazeera
