Fusion News: Nature- Laser Fusion Experiment Extracts Net Energy From Fuel: Nature New & Comment
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have, for the first time, extracted more energy from controlled nuclear fusion than was absorbed by the fuel to trigger it. This latest feat was published online, in Fuel gain exceeding unity in an inertially confined fusion implosion, in Nature and has gained a lot of media attention and expectations for the advancement of fusion. Even though there is still a long way to go for fusion this is a critical step. As reported by Nature in the article “Laser fusion experiment extracts net energy from fuel:” Philip Ball, Nature
The NIF team’s success, which is described in a paper published online today in Nature1, has come in experiments conducted between last September and this January. It relies on shaping the laser pulses to deliver more power early in the pulse. This creates a relatively high initial temperature in the hohlraum that ‘fluffs up’ the plastic shell and makes it less prone to an instability during the explosion that disrupts the fusion process. “This fluffing up greatly slows down growth of the instability,” says team leader Omar Hurricane, a Livermore physicist.
A number of news sources picked up on Nature’s article and wrote stories about it. Click through below to read them
Scientists Make Major Step Towards Harnessing Nuclear Fusion, The Associated Press
Is Nuclear Fusion Necessary for Power Generation? Rachel Donald, Utah People’s Post
Scientists Make Major Breakthrough in Nuclear FusionColmn Gorey, Silicon Republic
Fusion Experiment Important Milestone, Dominion Executive SaysPeter Bacque, Richomd Times- Dispatch
U.S. Scientists Reach ‘Turning Point’ in Quest for Fusion Energy Will Dunham, Reuters
National Ignition Facility Announces Record mount of Fusion Energy Francie Diep, Popular Science
Got First Nuclear Fusion Energy Cost, Tottenham News
Researchers Produce more Energy from Nuclear Fusion than Used in Fuel Pierrot Durand, French Tribune
Breakthrough Brings Nuclear Fusion Closer, The Associated Press
Scientist Achieve Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough, CBN News
Nuclear Fusion Just Got a Little Closer to Becoming a RealityMichael Lemonick, Time
Fusion Energy Milestone Reported by California Scientists Joel Achenback, Washington Post
Nuclear fusion breakthrough: US scientists make crucial step to limitless power, RT
A Star Is Born: U.S. Scores Fusion-Power Breakthrough Gautam Naik, Wall Street Journal
High-Powered Lasers Deliver Fusion Energy BreakthroughDavid Biello, Scientific American
Laser Bombardment Yields Energy Milestone- Matt Smith, CNN
Scientists overcome key barrier in route to nuclear fusion- Brooks Hays, UPI
National Ignition Facility Achieves Record Energies Rachel Courtland, IEEE Spectrum
The lasers fuelling hopes of unlimited, clean nuclear energy Steve Connor, Independent
Sustainable nuclear fusion breakthrough raises hopes for ultimate green energy Ian Sample, The Guardian
Nuclear fusion breakthrough promises unlimited energy, Reuters
DailyDirt: Harnessing Fusion Energy Michael Ho, Tech Dirt
NIF’s nuclear fusion with a laser: 1% of the way to Green Energy Chris Burns, Slash Gear
For decades a distant dream, the countdown to nuclear fusion may have finally begun Paul Norman and Lee Packer, The Conversation
Scentists Cite Advances in Controlled Fusion Research, The Jewish Voice
Nuclear Fusion Project Takes Key Step in Lab Test, The Associated Press
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