For decades, scientists from all over the world have been worried about the idea of nuclear fusion, as this is the path to clean energy that would completely solve the energy crisis on the planet. Fortunately, the specialists of the Livermore National Laboratory. E. Lawrence managed to make a real breakthrough in this area – scientists conducted a full-fledged process of thermonuclear ignition. This is a fusion reaction that maintains itself in working condition, while releasing more energy than was spent on starting this very reaction. The event is actually historical – experts from all over the world believe that this experiment is the most important in the history of modern science and technology.
The experiment itself, which is quite expected, is quite complicated – the specialists had to use the most powerful laser installation in the world, which consists of 192 individual lasers, in order to deliver energy in the amount of 2.05 MJ to a fairly compact fuel cell capsule. The fuel cell capsule itself was placed in a Hohlraum, a special cavity that can absorb energy, turning laser radiation into X-rays. These beams gradually compress the fuel in the capsule until an explosion occurs, followed by the transformation of the fuel into a plasma with extremely high temperature and pressure.
In a similar way, for example, energy is generated in stars – back in the 60s of the last century, scientists put forward the theory that with the help of powerful lasers it is possible to start a thermonuclear fusion reaction, and now scientists have managed to clearly confirm this theory. During the experiment, specialists allocated 2.05 MJ to start the reaction, and received 3.15 MJ of energy at the output. Accordingly, as a result of the experiment, the scientists managed to get one and a half times more energy than was spent on starting the reaction – this is a full-fledged clean energy.
Of course, it is too early to talk about the widespread use of energy from thermonuclear fusion. The fact is that for this experiment, the most powerful laser system in the world was used, which has the size of a football field and is unique in its kind. In order for thermonuclear fusion to become commonplace and solve the energy crisis on the planet, a lot of such systems are needed, and the final result will still have to be worked on. But scientists believe that the most important milestone in this direction has already been reached – now it is only necessary to scale the technology until it can provide humanity with clean energy.
Source: Trash Box
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
