Fusion News: Ria Novosti – US Scientists Notch Nuclear Fusion Milestone
In an experiment last month at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California, according to the report, researchers used 192 beams from the most powerful laser in the world to heat a tiny metal cylinder containing hydrogen fuel in order to incite nuclear fusion, often described as the “holy grail” of energy production.
The experiment did not generate more energy than the lasers supplied – a threshold known as “ignition” – but did result in the release of more energy than was absorbed by the fuel, BBC News reported.
The experiment is described as the most important achievement in recent years in the drive for nuclear fusion, according to the report, a process touted as having the potential to provide almost limitless supplies of clean, safe and sustainable energy without the downsides of nuclear power produced by fission.
