Fusion researchers at the U.S. National Ignition Facility created a reaction that made more energy than they put in
Scientists at the world’s largest nuclear-fusion facility have achieved the phenomenon known as ignition—creating a nuclear reaction that generates more energy than it consumes. Results of the breakthrough at the US National Ignition Facility , conducted on 5 December and announced today by US President Joe Biden’s administration, has excited the global fusion-research community.
“Fusion research has been going on since the early 50s, and this is the first time in the laboratory that fusion has ever produced more energy than it consumed,” says Campbell. To achieve ignition, NIF scientists made multiple changes before the latest laser shot, based in part on analysis and computer modelling of the experiments conducted last year. In addition to boosting the laser power by around 8%, scientists created a new target with fewer imperfections and adjusted how the laser energy was delivered onto the target in order to create a more spherical implosion.
NIF scientists readily acknowledge that the facility was not designed with commercial fusion energy in mind—and many researchers doubt that laser-driven fusion will be the approach that ultimately yields fusion energy. But Campbell believes that its latest success could boost confidence in the promise of laser fusion power and ultimately open the door to a new programme focused on energy applications. “This is absolutely necessary to have the credibility to sell an energy programme,” he says.
Still, “the NIF experiments focused on fusion energy absolutely are valuable on the path to commercial fusion power”, says Anne White, a plasma physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.
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