A U.S. laboratory achieved a new nuclear fusion stage called the "burning plasma."
This is currently a big deal for science since various experts across the globe are still trying to crack the mystery of this thermonuclear reaction since it can offer a massive amount of power.
As of the moment, the use of nuclear fusion is still not possible on Earth since this atomic nuclei activity usually happens on the surface of the sun or a star.
Right now, most power plants rely on nuclear fission, which is still not comparable to actual nuclear fusion. However, this may soon change, thanks to the efforts made by physicists at NIF (National Ignition Facility).
US Lab Achieves New Nuclear Fusion Stage
According to the latest BBC News report, the new nuclear fusion stage achieved by NIF generates more energy than the recent stages.
Technicians work on the bioshield inside the Tokamak Building with the base of the cryostat at its base during the launch of the assembly stage of nuclear fusion machine "Tokamak" of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Saint-Paul-les-Durance, southeastern France, on July 28, 2020. - Thirty-five nations are collaborating in the ITER energy project.
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Involved U.S. scientists explained that the new burning plasma only happens when the fusion reactions become the dominant source of heat. This means that the atomic activity doesn't involve external energy.
"Our experiments use a laser-generated radiation-filled cavity (a hohlraum) to spherically implode capsules containing deuterium and tritium fuel in a central hot spot where the fusion reactions occur," said NIF researchers.
Other Details of NIF's Findings
In the new study titled "Design of inertial fusion implosions reaching the burning plasma regime," which was published by the Nature Physics journal, NIF experts explained that the burning plasma hadn't been achieved yet by other researchers.
Since this nuclear fusion stage is difficult to pull off, they decided to use capsules that absorb more energy and hold more fuel. However, they added that the energy still disappears even after achieving burning plasma.
As of the moment, they are still working on the new study until they perfect the process.
In other news, the space race between NASA and China is now becoming a nuclear competition. Meanwhile, Israel recently used a remote-controlled AI-powered gun to assassinate the top Iranian nuclear scientist.
For more news updates about nuclear fusion and other energy topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
