Scientists at the University of Rochester have created a “spark plug” for inertial fusion, which uses lasers to compress a fuel pellet to ignite fusion. The “spark plug” is a laser system that is 100 times less powerful than the one used by the National Ignition Facility (NIF), but it can still compress the fuel capsule and start nuclear fusions. 

The “spark plug” is a step towards a more sustainable energy future. 

Here’s some more information about nuclear fusion:

• Fusion: The process that powers the Sun and all the stars. 
• Tokamak: A nuclear fusion design that contains the fusing plasma in a donut-shaped chamber by powerful magnets. 
• Ignition: A fusion reaction that creates a net gain of energy from the target. 
• NIF: In December 2022, scientists at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) announced that they had set a world record by producing a fusion reaction that released more energy than it consumed. 

It’s the x-rays that then compress the pellet of fuel and release energy. The method presented in new research from scientists at the University of Rochester approached fusion by directly slamming the pellet of fuel with lasers. They have demonstrated what they are calling the spark plug

In December 2022, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California achieved a net energy gain from a fusion reaction for the first time. The scientists used lasers to focus on a target of fuel, fusing two light atoms into a denser one, and releasing energy. The breakthrough was a net gain of 1.5 megajoules in less time than it takes light to travel one inch. 

The LLNL scientists have since repeated the breakthrough three more times. Federal scientists say they can now “consistently” produce fusion energy. 

However, some say the breakthrough is not the basis for sustainable energy generation at scale. The “breakthrough” was that the energy released by fusion was greater than the energy in the laser beams. However, this does not take into account the much greater energy required to generate the laser beams. 

In December 2022, a breakthrough for nuclear fusion occurred when more energy was released than used in creating the reaction, finally passing the “break-even point.” This recent innovation was duplicated when the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California recently repeated its success

Many countries are involved in nuclear fusion research, including the European Union, the United States, Russia, and Japan. China has the most patents for nuclear fusion. 

In December 2023, Japan and the European Union celebrated the start of operations of the world’s largest tokamak-type fusion reactor, the JT-60SA, located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

Scientists at the University of Rochester have created a “spark plug” for inertial fusion. Inertial fusion uses lasers to compress a fuel pellet to ignite fusion. 

The scientists’ laser system is 100 times less powerful than the National Ignition Facility’s (NIF) laser system, yet it was still able to compress the fuel capsule and start nuclear fusions. 

Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) achieves fusion conditions by rapidly compressing and heating a small quantity of fusion fuel. This results in a very high fuel pressure, which inevitably causes the fuel to disassemble

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