U.S. Makes Breakthrough in Laser-controlled Nuclear Fusion

U.S. Makes Breakthrough in Laser-controlled Nuclear Fusion

Controlled laser nuclear fusion device “氘-氚 target pill” and gold-plated radiation chamber containing the target


National Ignition Target Room (192 lasers focused on a small helium-neon target)

According to Xinhuanet, US researchers have made a key advance in controlled nuclear fusion experiments, and for the first time realized a "surplus" of energy when the nuclear fusion experiment "ignites".

Humans have achieved uncontrolled nuclear fusion, such as the explosion of hydrogen bombs. However, if the nuclear fusion energy is to be effectively used, ie controlled nuclear fusion (commonly known as "artificial sun"), the conditions are very harsh.

Initiating a nuclear fusion reaction requires firstly inputting energy into nuclear fuel, that is, “ignition”. Only by making nuclear fusion energy exceed the energy consumed by “ignition” can it be used as an effective energy source. The temperature of the Sun Center is as high as 15 million degrees Celsius. There is still huge pressure, and it is impossible to obtain such great pressure on the earth. To “ignite” it is only to make up for it by raising the temperature greatly.

Researchers at the Lawrence National Laboratory in Livermore, USA, reported that they first packed a very small amount of hydrogen isotope nuclear fuel evenly on a spherical particle with a diameter of 2 mm. The thickness of the nuclear fuel was equivalent to only one hair. , and then put the ball into a miniature "capsule." The researchers used lasers to rapidly heat the “capsules” to a temperature higher than the sun, causing them to explode violently inside. The final released energy exceeded the energy invested by the entire experiment. For the first time, energy was achieved when the “ignition” was completed. surplus".

The researchers said that in the previous experiments, spherical particles usually deformed after implosion, which reduced the efficiency of continuous energy production. The key to this new progress was to control nuclear fuel more precisely on the surface of spherical particles. The helium nuclei produced in nuclear fusion can transfer energy again to the nuclear fuel, triggering a further nuclear fusion reaction and thus generating more energy.

However, the researchers also pointed out that the "surplus" of energy obtained in the experiment is very limited, and that the nuclear fusion reaction should continue to occur. This "surplus" must reach more than a hundred times the energy invested in the experiment, so controlled nuclear fusion is really used by humans. It is still a "very distant hope."

â–ˆ Facts +

The origin of laser-controlled nuclear fusion research in the United States

In July 1992, President Clinton announced that the United States had extended its moratorium on nuclear testing. At the same time, it instructed the Department of Energy to explore other ways to ensure advanced, reliable, and confidential nuclear warheads in the United States without conducting underground nuclear tests. In fiscal year 1994, the regulations on national defense management required the Department of Energy to submit a plan on the safety management of core nuclear knowledge and technical materials of the United States.

In November 1994, the nuclear fusion project called “National Ignition Facility” was formally issued, and it was endorsed by the “Inertia Confinement Nuclear Fusion” Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Energy.

The National Ignition Facility uses 192 laser beams with a wavelength of 351 nanometers. The birthplace of Nova fusion lasers - Lawrence National Laboratory is the most suitable location for national ignition facilities. Construction began in the spring of 1997, with a total budget of $1.074 billion. So far, it is the world's largest laser fusion device.

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