The California team at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) confirmed a significant nuclear fusion breakthrough by achieving ignition, marking a pivotal moment in fusion energy research. Despite this achievement, skepticism remains regarding the practical implications of using a sport-stadium-sized laser for energy production, as the facility's primary focus has been nuclear weapons research. Critics highlight that the NIF has struggled to replicate the ignition results from August 2021, raising questions about the reliability of this milestone.
PREREQUISITESEnergy researchers, nuclear physicists, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of sustainable energy solutions.
I would not chacterize ignition as an arbitrary milestone. One the other hand, I am not selling my oil stocks.hutchphd said:It is an incremental improvement past an arbitrary "milestone". Don't count your neutrons before they hatch.
Of course the National Ignition Facility is going to claim achieving ignition is a big success since it's in the name but the reality is a sport-stadium size laser is not going to bring about an era of cheap fusion. The main purpose of the NIF is nuclear weapons research, not practical fusion.kyphysics said:Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Confirmed: California Team Achieved Ignition
BY JESS THOMSON ON 8/12/22 AT 9:20 AM EDT
https://www.newsweek.com/nuclear-fusion-energy-milestone-ignition-confirmed-california-1733238
For those of us not literate in the field, how significant is this and what are the prospects for a true energy transformation from here?