With 192 lasers and temperatures more than three times hotter than the center of the sun, scientists hit—at least for a fraction of a second—a key milestone on the long road toward nearly pollution-free fusion energy.
Plasma Physics
Jan 26, 2022
9
2740
Scientists announced Tuesday that they have for the first time produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it—a major breakthrough in the decades-long quest to harness the process that powers the sun.
Plasma Physics
Dec 13, 2022
30
972
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) today announced that the National Ignition Facility (NIF) recently completed its first integrated ignition experiment. ...
General Physics
Oct 8, 2010
17
0
Ignition – the process of releasing fusion energy equal to or greater than the amount of energy used to confine the fuel – has long been considered the "holy grail" of inertial confinement fusion science. A key step along ...
General Physics
Feb 12, 2014
6
0
Since its introduction in the 1977 film "Star Wars," the Death Star has remained one of science fiction's most iconic figures. The image of Alderaan's destruction at the hands of the Death Star's superlaser is burned into ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 17, 2017
0
110
A team of researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in California, has found evidence of ions behaving differently than expected in their fusion reactions.
Chemists are preparing to play an important but often unheralded role in determining the success of one of the largest and most important scientific experiments in history — next year's initial attempts at the National ...
General Physics
Aug 19, 2009
14
0
Our society faces the grand challenge of providing sustainable, secure and affordable means of generating energy, while trying to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to net zero around 2050.
General Physics
Dec 7, 2022
8
51
Within the next week at a high-security building in Livermore, Calif., the size of a football stadium, scientists will hunker down to conduct an experiment backed by billions of dollars and promises to change the world's ...
General Physics
Sep 23, 2010
26
0
The Earth is under constant bombardment by subatomic particles called cosmic rays, including some, known as ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, which pack much more punch than the world's most powerful particle accelerators. Fortunately, ...
Astronomy
May 4, 2016
2
1024
