Scientists have confirmed that last year, for the first time in the lab, they achieved a fusion reaction that self-perpetuates (instead of fizzling out) – bringing us closer to replicating the chemical reaction that powers the Sun. However, they aren’t exactly sure how to recreate the experiment. Nuclear fusion occurs when two atoms combine to create a heavier atom, releasing a huge burst of energy in the process. It’s a process often found in nature, but it’s very difficult to replicate in the lab because it needs a high-energy environment to keep the reaction going. The Sun generates energy using nuclear fusion – by smashing hydrogen atoms together to create helium.
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Over the past year, the researchers tried to replicate the result in four similar experiments, but only managed to produce half of the energy yield produced in the record-breaking initial experiment. “If you start from a microscopically worse starting point, it’s reflected in a much larger difference in the final energy yield,” says plasma physicist Jeremy Chittenden at Imperial College London. “The 8 August experiment was the best-case scenario.”
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“You don’t want to be in a position where you’ve got to get absolutely everything just right in order to get ignition,” says Chittenden.
R&I – FS
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Article URL : https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-achieved-self-sustaining-nuclear-fusion-but-now-they-cant-replicate-it