Scientists Successfully Repeat Landmark Nuclear Fusion Reaction Experiment

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have, for a second time, successfully completed an experiment with a new form of power generation that could revolutionize how clean energy is generated. 

In December, researchers at the lab’s National Ignition Facility made headlines after they used lasers pointed at tiny clusters of atoms to generate more power than the lasers used. The technique, which is known as fusion, mimics the same nuclear reaction that fuels the Sun and other stars. 

During that December experiment, scientists used 2.05 megajoules of energy to generate 3.15 megajoules. A second experiment, on July 30, produced an even higher energy yield, according to reports. A spokesperson for the LLNL told Reuters that the final results are still being analyzed.

According to the NIF’s website, their fusion reactor requires 192 high-powered lasers, focused on a small group of hydrogen atoms. When they hit their target, the atoms fuse, forming helium nuclei and releasing high-energy electrons. Those helium particles then spread and heat up a nearby fuel source, creating a self-sustaining reaction.

Any possibility of scaling this technology up to provide electricity on a mass scale is still years away. Scientists have said that cost remains a major roadblock towards generating fusion power at scale, and it could be 20 to 30 years before fusion power becomes widely available.

In December, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granhold hailed the first fusion experiment as a “landmark achievement,” adding that fusion would “help us solve humanity’s most complex and pressing problems, like providing clean power to combat climate change and maintaining a nuclear deterrent without nuclear testing.”