Nuclear Fusion

On December 5th, 2022 the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) reported a breakthrough in their nuclear fusion experiments. The LLNL claimed that their researchers had conducted the first successful nuclear fusion experiment which resulted in a positive net energy change (more energy came from the reaction that was put into it). But first, what is nuclear fusion research?

For the last few decades, nuclear power plants have been run through nuclear fission (not nuclear fusion) reactions. Nuclear fission is the reaction when atoms from nuclear materials split apart, creating heat energy that can be harnessed to create electricity. However, Nuclear fission results in radioactive waste that remains dangerous for thousands of years.

What we’re focused on is nuclear fusion, which is the opposite of nuclear fission. Isotopes are forced together and bind to create new atoms, releasing immense amounts of energy (this is where the equation E=mc^2 comes from). It fuels powerful things like the sun and hydrogen bombs. Researchers have long said that if scientists can achieve nuclear fusion, it would produce energy so efficiently that the world's energy crisis would be no more. Essentially, scientists are trying to harness the power of a hydrogen bomb reaction on a much smaller and more controlled area. However, achieving a nuclear fusion reaction that produces energy is very complicated and expensive, which is why many experts say it will take decades before humans will see benefits from nuclear fusion.

The recent breakthrough from the LLNL has shown the first experiment that proved to be a significant step toward creating nuclear fusion power plants, but much of the information surrounding the experiment is misrepresented. Although it is true that the reaction at the LLNL used 2 energy units to see a 3 energy unit output (positive net gain), many news sources don't report that the LLNL actually used much more energy to charge the lasers required to begin the reaction. If chagrin the lasers were taken into account, the LLNL actually used 300 units of energy to see an output of 3 units of energy. Nevertheless, the experiment is a forward step in nuclear fusion technology.

In addition to the LLNL, there are many other companies that are investing billions of dollars into fusion technology. Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Tae Technologies, General Atomics, and General Fusion are just some of the many companies, with the help of investors like Jeff Bezos, attempting to create energy through fusion.

While many see the importance of this achievement in nuclear fusion technology, it is important to recognize that efficient energy production from nuclear fusion is something that humanity may not figure out for decades.