US scientists may have reached a breakthrough in nuclear fusion

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The world may be one step closer to producing clean energy using the same extremely powerful reaction that produces energy in the sun’s core. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have allegedly achieved the first-ever net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction, according to the Financial Times, which cited three unnamed sources with knowledge of the recent experiment.

If true, the news represents a significant scientific achievement. Nuclear fusion — when two hydrogen nuclei combine to form a single helium atom, releasing a burst of energy — is a prospect that has both tantalized and eluded scientists for decades. Although it is still a long way off, commercial energy produced from this kind of controlled reaction could represent a near-limitless form of clean energy around the clock. 

The Department of Energy said it will announce a “major scientific breakthrough” on Tuesday at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The event will be available for the public to livestream at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Created by the United States government in the 1950s, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been studying nuclear technology since the height of the Cold War. In 2009, the lab completed construction on the National Ignition Facility, which aims to explore “clean, sustainable sources of energy.” The facility began looking into what is known as inertial confinement fusion, which uses a laser to repeatedly hit a spec of hydrogen plasma.

At the moment, this form of fusion experiment takes up a lot of space: The National Ignition Facility’s laser is the size of three football fields. This is one reason why the technology would still take years to commercialize. 

According to David Hammer, a Cornell University professor who has been studying nuclear fusion for roughly 50 years,​​ a successful net energy gain based on inertial confinement fusion would mean the lab has realized its core mission. “The goal was to do essentially what they have just done,” he said, adding this approach is one of a few leading methods to producing nuclear fusion. 

It’s hard to understate the promise nuclear fusion holds: It can produce, in the words of the International Atomic Energy Agency, “massive amounts of energy.” Specifically, it has the potential to produce nearly four million times more energy than traditional fossil fuel resources like gas, coal and oil. It also uses an abundant element (hydrogen), emits zero greenhouse gases, and, unlike nuclear fission, does not produce long-lived radioactive waste.

Efforts to successfully create a net gain nuclear fusion reaction have spanned the public and private sectors. According to a 2022 survey conducted by the Fusion Industry Association, more than 30 companies are working on developing nuclear fusion technology, representing over $4.8 billion in funding. 

But a net gain in energy is just a first step. Next, researchers will need to make sure the reaction can successfully be replicated, Hammer said. “Then it means that it is possible to improve upon the accomplishment — make it so they can do it regularly, repeatedly, reproducibly.” 

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory declined to comment prior to Tuesday’s press conference. 

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline US scientists may have reached a breakthrough in nuclear fusion on Dec 12, 2022.