American scientists have announced a major breakthrough in research related to the fusion of atoms to generate energy.
Physicists have been researching nuclear energy technology for decades because they believe it can be a source of unlimited environmentally friendly energy.
On Tuesday, American researchers confirmed that they have overcome a major hurdle: that is, they can now generate more energy than ever before with the help of fusion experiments.
But experts say there is still more work to be done to bring this energy to homes.
The experiment, which creates energy by combining atoms, was conducted at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California.
"This is a historic achievement," said Kim Bodle, director of the organization. Over the past 60 years, thousands of people have contributed and the right theory has brought us here.
It is true that scientists have been busy trying to get energy from nuclear fusion for a long time.
How is energy produced by nuclear fusion?
A successful nuclear fusion in obtaining energy is the dream of every scientist in this field. The light and intensity of stars are produced by the process of nuclear fusion.
In this, pairs of light ams are integrated into each other. This fusion releases energy.
It is the reverse of nuclear fission, in which energy is released by breaking apart heavy atoms.
Fission is the technology currently used in nuclear power stations, but the process also produces a lot of waste that is radioactive for a long time.
It can be dangerous and must be stored safely.
Nuclear fusion produces much more energy and less radioactive waste. This radiation is also short-lived.
Importantly, this process does not emit greenhouse gases and therefore does not contribute to climate change.
But nuclear fusion requires very high temperatures and pressures, and this is one of its challenges. No experiment has ever produced as much energy as this one.
How much did this project cost?
The National Ignition Laboratory in California is a $3.5 billion project.
It holds a small amount of hydrogen in a capsule about the size of a peppercorn.
A powerful 192-beam laser is then used to heat and compress the hydrogen fuel.
The laser is so powerful that it can heat the capsule to 100 million degrees Celsius, hotter than the core of the Sun, and compress it 100 billion times more than Earth's atmosphere.
Under these forces, the capsule begins to act on itself, forcing the hydrogen atoms to fuse together and release energy.
After a billion-dollar investment, the experiment produced just enough energy to boil 15 to 20 kettles.
The energy obtained from the experiment was higher than the laser, but this does not include the energy with which the laser was operated. That is, the energy produced by fusing hydrogen atoms was far less when compared to the energy expended at the required temperature and pressure.
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