Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
On December 5th, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States, made a major breakthrough in producing fusion energy. Scientists were able to achieve an energy breakeven, meaning the fusion experiment produced more energy through fusion reactions, than the amount of energy put into the system to start that reaction.
Fusion is what powers stars like our Sun; the mass and heat of the Sun compresses fuel particles together. They fuse, merging together to create a heavier atomic particle and unleashing energy in the process. This net gain is a historical milestone, akin to the Wright Brothers first flight of an aircraft.
Professor Matthew Hole from Australian National University and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization joined 2SER Breakfast’s Jack Gembitsky to explain the significance of this engineering achievement.
