Washington, December 13 (QNA) – The US Department of Energy (DOE) and DOEs National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a major scientific breakthrough decades in the making that will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power.
On December 5, a team at LLNLs National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history to reach this milestone, also known as scientific energy breakeven, meaning it produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. This historic, first-of-its kind achievement will provide unprecedented capability to support NNSAs Stockpile Stewardship Program and will provide invaluable insights into the prospects of clean fusion energy, which would be a game-changer for efforts to achieve President Bidens goal of a net-zero carbon economy, the US Department of Energy said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This is a landmark achievement for the researchers and staff at the National Ignition Facility who have dedicated their careers to seeing fusion ignition become a reality, and this milestone will undoubtedly spark even more discovery. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting our world-class scientists like the team at NIF whose work will help us solve humanitys most complex and pressing problems, like providing clean power to combat climate change and maintaining a nuclear deterrent without nuclear testing,” said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.
Dr. Arati Prabhakar, the Presidents Chief Advisor for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said: “We have had a theoretical understanding of fusion for over a century, but the journey from knowing to doing can be long and arduous. Todays milestone shows what we can do with perseverance.”
LLNLs experiment surpassed the fusion threshold by delivering 2.05 megajoules (MJ) of energy to the target, resulting in 3.15 MJ of fusion energy output, demonstrating for the first time a most fundamental science basis for inertial fusion energy (IFE). Many advanced science and technology developments are still needed to achieve simple, affordable IFE to power homes and businesses, and DOE is currently restarting a broad-based, coordinated IFE program in the United States. Combined with private-sector investment, there is a lot of momentum to drive rapid progress toward fusion commercialization.
Fusion is the process by which two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy. (QNA)