Member-only story
A Major Breakthrough in Fusion Reactions
For decades, scientists have sought to replicate the reaction that powers the sun — nuclear fusion — in an effort to unlock an inexhaustible source of energy without pollution or global warming. While progress has been slow and breakthroughs have been few, a recent experiment at the Lawrence Livermore National Labs in California could bring us closer than ever before to realizing this dream. If this breakthrough proves true, it could revolutionize the energy industry for generations.
At its core, nuclear fusion is a process whereby two nuclei are fused together to form a single nucleus. This releases tremendous amounts of energy, and unlike fission — the process used by current nuclear power plants — it leaves no dangerous radioactive waste behind. As such, it is considered a holy grail of sorts within the world of carbon-free energy production.
The experiment conducted by Lawrence Livermore researchers involved generating plasma with hydrogen and boron, then compressing it using laser pulses to achieve temperatures higher than those found in the sun’s core (nearly 100 million degrees Celsius). The result was an intense reaction that created large amounts of helium as well as alpha particles — which can be converted into electricity for commercial use.
