Inside the National Ignition Facility, where the experiment was conducted. Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The scientific community and the rest of the world woke up to groundbreaking news on 14 December 2022. Scientists in the United States have successfully achieved nuclear fusion – something that was thought to be nearly impossible.
The US Department of Energy announced that scientists at the National Laboratory in California achieved net energy, which means the amount of energy used to create the nuclear reaction was less than the energy produced by it. It’s never been done before, and the implications of this monumental moment are huge. It will help make an alternative energy source that is completely clean and renewable in the future.
Fusion is how the sun and other stars create energy and shine so bright. Nuclear fusion is a way to simulate the same energy on Earth in the form of heat. In the process, two or more atoms are fused together using a massive amount of energy (in this case, lasers) to form a big atom. The process produces a lot of heat, which can be used as artificial energy. Usually, hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium are used for the procedure.
A successful nuclear fusion provides clean, carbon-free, renewable energy, much like the energy we get from the sun! Scientists across the world have been studying nuclear fusion for decades since it provides clean energy that is limitless and requires small amounts of hydrogen to create. However, creating energy using fusion does take a lot of specialised equipment; hence, its commercialisation is yet to begin.
Nuclear fission is the process we use today to power nuclear power plants and generate electricity. While fusion involves combining two atoms together, fission is the opposite, wherein an atom is split into two. Heat is generated in this process as well, which is then used as energy. However, nuclear fission creates a lot of toxic waste, which needs to be stored and processed carefully. It also requires other unattainable isotopes. Hence, fusion is considered to be the better alternative.
In this groundbreaking experiment, US scientists used 192 super high-powered lasers to focus on one small target, the size of a small seed. The target was a tiny capsule containing deuterium and tritium. The lasers used about 2.05 megajoules of energy and heated it to over 3 million degrees, thus simulating the same environmental conditions of a star. The process worked, where the atoms merged together, creating more energy and heat – about 3 megajoules– more than the 192 lasers.
The quest isn’t finalised yet, as it needs to be recreated further on a larger scale. But history has been created for now, and with it, hope for the future.
Get the latest on what’s happening in the world of science with ‘Science Feed’:
Wormholes May Not Be Fiction Anymore!
Scientists Find ‘Marshmallow’ Planet That Could Float in a Tub
Madhavi is passionate about everything to do with books, art, literature, films, trivia and food. A former journalist, she believes that asking questions makes life interesting.
Arya C is a 4th grader who talks about her transition from the US to India and how BYJU`S has helped her at that. She also loves how BYJU`S has made learning a lot more fun.
Meet Sourabh who has a ton to say about his BYJU`S learning experience. His love for quizzes, games and other fun activities are paying off!
V Shriya is a class eight student who has been using BYJU’S for a year now. She shares her experiences with using the app and how it has helped her in improving her academic performance.
Aanvi from class 9 has been with BYJU`S for just 6 months and hear what she has to say about her learning experience with the app.
