Inside, an important step towards break-even is achieved
Rendering of the target chamber of the nuclear fusion reactor at the NIF. (Photo: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
Nuclear fusion will play an important role in the environmentally friendly generation of electricity in the future. Researchers have now made a breakthrough. The ignition seems within reach.
Nuclear fusion reactors have been researched for decades. For critics, the reactors, in which the energy production of the sun is supposed to be imitated, are one thing above all: expensive. Supporters: hope for an almost emission-free energy source in the future. Californian researchers have now achieved a breakthrough that a German expert calls a “milestone”.
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Nuclear fusion on the threshold of break-even
At the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory the researchers work with the strongest lasers in the world. In an attempt on August 8, the so-called break-even was almost reached for the first time. The yield of 1.35 megajoules corresponded according to Markus Roth, Physicist and expert for laser fusion research at the TU Darmstadt almost the amount of laser energy that was put into the fusion process.
“This is a milestone in fusion research with lasers and will greatly stimulate further research into the use of fusion for energy generation,” said Roth. The result is of particular interest for civil use for energy supply. “It shows the great progress in understanding the underlying physics, the development in laser technology and the production of high-quality fusion targets.”
Laser energy (still) exceeds fusion yield
The desired so-called ignition is only achieved when the energy that is released during the fusion exceeds that added by the laser energy. According to Spiegel Online the lasers brought in 1.9 megajoules. The researchers, however, see themselves already at the “threshold to ignition” and thus breakeven. If this were achieved, the fusion reactions themselves could provide the heat for further fusions. The nuclear fusion process would be in motion.
The reactor at the NIF was built between 1997 and 2009. The laser with two 96 laser beams is the size of three soccer fields. The plant is said to have cost around 3.5 billion US dollars. The European fusion reactor Iter, due to be completed in southern France by 2025, is expected to cost more than $ 20 billion. The reactor differs from the one in the USA.
