Magneto-inertial fusion experiment nears completion

Assembly of the Plasma Liner Experiment (PLX) at Los Alamos National Laboratory is well underway with the installation of 18 of 36 plasma guns in an ambitious approach to achieving controlled nuclear fusion (Figure 1). The ...

Researchers uncover a new obstacle to effective accelerator beams

High-energy ion beams—laser-like beams of atomic particles fired through accelerators—have applications that range from inertial confinement fusion to the production of superhot extreme states of matter that are thought ...

Capturing energy flow in a plasma by measuring scattered light

Whether studying the core of our sun or the inside of a fusion reactor, scientists need to determine how energy flows in plasma. Scientists use simulations to calculate the flow. The simulations rely on the classical thermal ...

Two-micron fill tubes fill two needs

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) and General Atomics engineers have created an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) fuel capsule with a two-micron-diameter fill tube—and along the way, ...

Attempting to tame plasmas in fusion

Nuclear fusion, the release of energy when light atomic nuclei merge, is touted as a carbon-free solution to global energy requirements. One potential route to nuclear fusion is inertial confinement. Now a KAUST-led team ...

Diamond capsules improve performance of laser fusion

Osaka University-led researchers demonstrated that the perturbation of laser imprinting on a capsule for nuclear fusion fuel made from stiff and heavy materials was mitigated. Using the latest chemical vapor deposition (CVD) ...

page 3 from 6