Achieving “Ignition”
Year: 2022
In one of the most surprising scientific findings in history, the United States National Ignition Facility was able to achieve “ignition.” Which is a first for mankind. Ignition is when a nuclear reaction is created and then generates more energy than it consumes. The U.S. NIF accomplished this by using a set of 192 lasers to deliver 2.05 megajoules of energy. This was set to hit a pea-sized gold cylinder containing a frozen pellet of hydrogen isotopes known as deuterium and tritium. The energy pulse collapsed the capsule, creating temperatures only seen among the stars and thermonuclear weapons. Hydrogen fused into helium, releasing additional energy to create more fusion reactions. It released 3.15 megajoules of energy, 54% more energy than went into the reaction itself!
Where Do We Find This Stuff? Here Are Our Sources:
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences (PNAS)
United States Department of Energy
United States National Ignition Facility
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
National Human Genome Research Institute