Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have achieved a first-of-its-kind fusion ignition that will change the future of clean energy.
Illustration of the inertial fusion reaction by ignition. - LLNL© Provided by News 360
For the first time, researchers in the field are producing more energy from fusion than was used to power it.
The achievement, officially unveiled Tuesday, occurred on December 5. At LLNL's National Ignition Facility (NIF), the first demonstration of 'fusion ignition' was performed in a laboratory device. The NIF is the largest and most powerful inertial fusion power facility of its kind.
Fusion ignition' is one of the most significant scientific challenges ever faced by mankind. It is the point at which a nuclear fusion reaction produces enough energy to be self-sustaining. It simulates energy production in the Sun and is considered the 'holy grail' for clean, inexhaustible energy.
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'A moment in history': US researchers announce major nuclear fusion breakthrough
In the 1960s, pioneering Livermoore scientists led by John Nuckolls hypothesized that lasers could be used to achieve fusion ignition, which has only now been achieved for the first time.
To develop the project over the past 60 years, LLNL built a series of increasingly powerful laser systems, leading to the creation of NIF. Located in Livermore, California, it is the size of a sports stadium and uses powerful lasers to create temperatures and pressures like those found in the cores of giant stars and planets, and inside exploding nuclear weapons.
Fusion is the process by which our sun and all other stars exist. Nuclear fusion occurs when two atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus.
On December 5, the fusion energy released at NIF was greater than the energy of the laser beam applied for that purpose, exceeding the threshold necessary for ignition.
The LLNL experiment exceeded the fusion threshold by delivering 2.05 megajoules (MJ) of energy to the target, resulting in 3.15 MJ of fusion energy production, demonstrating for the first time a fundamental scientific basis for inertial fusion energy (IFE).
Many advanced scientific and technological developments are still needed to achieve a simple and affordable IFE to power homes and businesses, and DOE is currently restarting a coordinated, broad-based IFE program in the United States. Combined with private sector investment, there is strong momentum to drive rapid progress toward commercialization of fusion, according to a DOE release.
As Biden administration Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm explained in the presentation, this milestone also opens up an unprecedented capability to support Stockpile Stewardship, the U.S. program for reliability testing and maintenance of its nuclear weapons without the use of nuclear testing.
U.S. says nuclear fusion breakthrough "will go down in the history books"
Story by Lilia Luciano •
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday a monumental milestone in nuclear fusion research: a "net energy gain" was achieved for the first time in history by scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
Watch: U.S. announces nuclear fusion energy breakthrough
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Duration 4:26
"Simply put, this is one of the most impressive scientific feats of the 21st century," Jennifer Granholm, U.S. energy secretary, said at a press conference, adding that researchers have been working on this for decades.
"It strengthens our national security, and ignition allows us to replicate certain conditions only found in the stars and in the sun," she said. "This milestone moves us one significant step closer to the possibility of zero carbon abundance fusion energy powering our society."
The impact of the scientists' work will assist U.S. industries nationwide, Granholm said.
"Today, we tell the world that America has achieved a significant scientific breakthrough," said Granholm.
The hope is that it could be used to develop a clean source of power that would discontinue reliance on fossil fuels.
"The day you get more energy out than you put in, the sky's the limit," American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson told CBS News.
Nuclear fusion has been considered the holy grail of energy creation that some say could save humans from extinction. It combines two hydrogen atoms, which then makes helium and a whole lot of energy.
It's how stars, like our sun, generate power.
"We've known how to fuse atoms and generate energy. We just haven't been able to control it," said deGrasse Tyson, author of "Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization."
Nuclear fusion technology has been around since the creation of the hydrogen bomb, but using that technology to harness energy has required decades of research.
"They took 200 laser beams, some of the most powerful on the planet Earth, converged that energy down to a pellet, a pellet the size of a BB," said Dr. Michio Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York. "And just remember, fusion power has no nuclear waste to speak of, no meltdowns to worry about."
Scientists believe fusion plants would be much safer than today's nuclear fission plants — if the process can be mastered.
That's the goal of a multinational, multibillion-dollar project called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, which is under construction in southern France.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (C) is joined by (L-R) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Director Dr. Kim Budil, National Nuclear Security Administration head Jill Hruby, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Dr. Arati Prabhakar and NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs Dr. Marvin Adams for a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on Dec. 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
View on Watch
Duration 4:26
"Simply put, this is one of the most impressive scientific feats of the 21st century," Jennifer Granholm, U.S. energy secretary, said at a press conference, adding that researchers have been working on this for decades.
"It strengthens our national security, and ignition allows us to replicate certain conditions only found in the stars and in the sun," she said. "This milestone moves us one significant step closer to the possibility of zero carbon abundance fusion energy powering our society."
The impact of the scientists' work will assist U.S. industries nationwide, Granholm said.
"Today, we tell the world that America has achieved a significant scientific breakthrough," said Granholm.
The hope is that it could be used to develop a clean source of power that would discontinue reliance on fossil fuels.
"The day you get more energy out than you put in, the sky's the limit," American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson told CBS News.
Nuclear fusion has been considered the holy grail of energy creation that some say could save humans from extinction. It combines two hydrogen atoms, which then makes helium and a whole lot of energy.
It's how stars, like our sun, generate power.
"We've known how to fuse atoms and generate energy. We just haven't been able to control it," said deGrasse Tyson, author of "Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization."
Nuclear fusion technology has been around since the creation of the hydrogen bomb, but using that technology to harness energy has required decades of research.
"They took 200 laser beams, some of the most powerful on the planet Earth, converged that energy down to a pellet, a pellet the size of a BB," said Dr. Michio Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York. "And just remember, fusion power has no nuclear waste to speak of, no meltdowns to worry about."
Scientists believe fusion plants would be much safer than today's nuclear fission plants — if the process can be mastered.
That's the goal of a multinational, multibillion-dollar project called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, which is under construction in southern France.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (C) is joined by (L-R) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Director Dr. Kim Budil, National Nuclear Security Administration head Jill Hruby, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Dr. Arati Prabhakar and NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs Dr. Marvin Adams for a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on Dec. 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
/ Credit: Getty Images© Provided by CBS News
Currently, nuclear power plants use fission, which breaks atoms apart to make energy. Even thought it's not burning fossil fuel, meltdowns like Chernobyl and Fukushima are evidence that our nuclear fission can still harm humans — and our environment.
But now, fusion's moment appears to finally be here.
"We're long overdue to have converted something so destructive that finally it could be used for a peaceful purpose in the service of civilization," deGrasse Tyson said.
Granholm said scientists have achieved a milestone that will reach far beyond Tuesday's announcement.
"This is a landmark achievement for the researchers and staff at the National Ignition Facility who have dedicated their careers to seeing fusion ignition become a reality, and this milestone will undoubtedly spark even more discovery," Granholm said, adding that the breakthrough "will go down in the history books.''
Currently, nuclear power plants use fission, which breaks atoms apart to make energy. Even thought it's not burning fossil fuel, meltdowns like Chernobyl and Fukushima are evidence that our nuclear fission can still harm humans — and our environment.
But now, fusion's moment appears to finally be here.
"We're long overdue to have converted something so destructive that finally it could be used for a peaceful purpose in the service of civilization," deGrasse Tyson said.
Granholm said scientists have achieved a milestone that will reach far beyond Tuesday's announcement.
"This is a landmark achievement for the researchers and staff at the National Ignition Facility who have dedicated their careers to seeing fusion ignition become a reality, and this milestone will undoubtedly spark even more discovery," Granholm said, adding that the breakthrough "will go down in the history books.''
Scientists announced that they have for the first time produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it — a major breakthrough in the decades-long quest to harness the process that powers the sun. US Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm hails this milestone as "one of the most impressive scientific feats of the 21st century." For more on the future of nuclear fusion, FRANCE 24 is joined by Kristine Berzina, Managing Director at the German Marshall Fund.
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