In a milestone for nuclear fusion, an experiment with lasers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California (USA), has managed to produce more energy than that provided by the beam that triggered the fusion.
This is what has happened at the atomic level in this experiment, which is one more step towards making an abundant source of energy without CO₂ emissions a reality.
This is how nuclear fusion works
to generate clean energy
1
192 lasers are fired into a hollow cylinder (hohlraum) causing extreme temperature and pressure.
Cylinder
(hohlraum)
1cm
capsule with
atoms of
hydrogen
two
The heat and pressure force the hydrogen isotopes to fuse, emulating the same process that occurs in the Sun and other stars.
+
+
isotope 1
+
+
isotope 2
3
The fusion gives rise to a helium nucleus.
In the process, some of the remaining mass is converted to energy.
+
Helium
+
+
Energy
+
Neutron
This is how nuclear fusion works to generate clean energy
Cylinder
(hohlraum)
1
192 lasers are fired into a hollow cylinder (hohlraum) causing extreme temperature and pressure.
1cm
capsule with
atoms of
hydrogen
+
two
The heat and pressure force the hydrogen isotopes to fuse, emulating the same process that occurs in the Sun and other stars.
+
isotope 1
+
+
isotope 2
+
Helium
+
3
The fusion gives rise to a helium nucleus.
In the process, some of the remaining mass is converted to energy.
+
+
Energy
Neutron
This is how nuclear fusion works to generate clean energy
Cylinder
(called hohlraum)
isotope 1
1cm
capsule with
atoms of
hydrogen
isotope 2
two
1
The heat and pressure force the hydrogen isotopes to fuse, emulating the same process that occurs in the Sun and other stars.
192 lasers are fired into a hollow cylinder (hohlraum) causing extreme temperature and pressure.
Helium
3
The fusion gives rise to a helium nucleus.
In the process, some of the remaining mass is converted to energy.
Energy
Neutron
The simultaneous firing of 192 powerful lasers against a capsule smaller than the fingernail of the little finger generates a temperature of three million degrees and an enormous pressure that allows hydrogen atoms to overcome their natural repulsion and unite to form helium atoms, releasing energy in the process, as would happen in stars.
Both the beam and the release of energy last a fraction of a second.
Although the energy that arrived from the laser to the capsule with the hydrogen is less than that produced by fusion, the energy necessary to produce that beam, due to the inefficiency of the lasers used, is still much greater than that generated by the union of the hydrogen nuclei.
necessary facilities
to generate the fusion
1
To achieve fusion, 192 laser beams travel through a 1,500-meter network of amplifiers and mirrors to increase their power.
Camera
of destiny
two
In microseconds, the laser beams multiply their energy millions of times and are directed to the destination chamber.
Camera
of destiny
Cylinder
(hohlraum)
3
In the destination chamber, the lasers are transformed into ultraviolet energy and directed at the target: a hollow cylinder called a hohlraum where the hydrogen atoms will fuse.
Cylinder
(hohlraum)
1cm
capsule with
atoms of
hydrogen
Facilities necessary to generate the merger
1
To achieve fusion, 192 laser beams travel through a 1,500-meter network of amplifiers and mirrors to increase their power.
California
CALIFORNIA
USA
Laboratory
San Francisco
National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore
50km
250 meters
Camera
of destiny
two
3
In microseconds, the laser beams multiply their energy millions of times and are directed to the destination chamber.
In the destination chamber, the lasers are transformed into ultraviolet energy and directed at the target: a hollow cylinder called a hohlraum where the hydrogen atoms will fuse.
Camera
of destiny
Cylinder
(hohlraum)
1cm
Cylinder
(hohlraum)
capsule with
atoms of
hydrogen
Facilities necessary to generate the merger
1
To achieve fusion, 192 laser beams travel through a 1,500-meter network of amplifiers and mirrors to increase their power.
California
CALIFORNIA
National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore
USA
Laboratory
San Francisco
50km
250 meters
The goal of this 250-meter laboratory is to recreate the same pressure and temperature conditions that occur inside the sun and stars.
Camera
of destiny
two
3
In the destination chamber, the lasers are transformed into ultraviolet energy and directed at the target: a hollow cylinder called a hohlraum where the hydrogen atoms will fuse.
In microseconds, the laser beams multiply their energy millions of times and are directed to the destination chamber.
Camera
of destiny
Cylinder
(hohlraum)
1cm
Cylinder
(hohlraum)
capsule with
atoms of
hydrogen
Para hacerse una idea de la cantidad de energía que puede producir la fusión nuclear si se superan los amplios obstáculos técnicos que aún existen, de un litro de agua se podría extraer, aproximadamente, la misma cantidad de energía que de 300 litros de petróleo.
A diferencia de la fisión, que lanza neutrones a átomos muy pesados como los del uranio para partirlos y liberar energía, la fusión une átomos ligeros con el mismo objetivo. En el primer caso, además de energía, se producen grandes cantidades de material radiactivo que en algunos casos puede ser peligroso durante milenios. En el caso de la fusión, los neutrones liberados en la operación contaminarían los materiales del reactor. La gestión de esos residuos sería más sencilla, aunque requeriría guardarlos durante alrededor de un siglo.
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