American scientists have managed to produce more energy in a nuclear fusion reaction than they expended in the process.
Source AFP
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LThe US Department of Energy said on Sunday, Dec. 11, that it was preparing to announce a “major scientific breakthrough this week” in the field of nuclear fusion. The British newspaper Financial Times reported hours earlier that scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), located in California, recently obtained a “net energy gain” from an experimental fusion reactor.
It would be the first time that researchers have succeeded in producing more energy in a fusion reaction – such as the one that powers the Sun – than they expended in the process, which would represent a significant step forward in the search for carbon-free energy. . Invited to comment on the article ft extensionSpokespersons for the Department of Energy and LLNL told Agence France-Presse that US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm will host an event Tuesday where she will “announce a leading revolutionary scientist.
The LLNL spokesperson added that “the analysis (was) still ongoing”. “We look forward to sharing more information on Tuesday when this process is complete,” he added. The fusion reaction that produced a net 120% energy gain occurred in the past two weeks, the ft extension, citing three people familiar with the preliminary findings. Nuclear fusion is regarded by its advocates as the energy of tomorrow, particularly as it produces little waste and no greenhouse gases.
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“It could be a game changer for the planet”
“If this breakthrough […] is real, this could be a game changer for the planet,” California Congressman Ted Lieu tweeted after the report was released. ft extension. Fusion differs from fission, a technique currently used in nuclear power plants, which involves breaking the bonds of heavy atomic nuclei to recover energy.
Fusion is the reverse process: two light atomic nuclei are “married” to create a heavy one. In this case two isotopes (atomic variants) of hydrogen, which give rise to helium. The LLNL facility is made up of nearly 200 lasers the size of three football fields, which aim at a tiny spot with high energy levels to start a fusion reaction.
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