A Fusion Energy Breakthrough? Major Announcement Expected From US Scientists – By Jackson Ryan (CNET) / Dec 11, 2022
US scientists may have reached a critical milestone in generating fusion power.
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory may have achieved a remarkable new high point for fusion reactions, generating even more energy than was pumped in during a recent experiment, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The publication suggests scientists “with knowledge of preliminary results from a recent experiment” have discussed the result and analysis is ongoing. A major announcement is scheduled to take place at LLNL on Tuesday, Dec. 13. It’s expected to be livestreamed by the Department of Energy at approximately 7 a.m. PT.
The National Ignition Facility operates an “inertial confinement fusion” experiment, which sees almost 200 lasers fired directly at a tiny capsule of hydrogen. According to Nathan Garland, a physicist at Griffith University in Australia, the lasers create a plasma around the capsule which eventually starts an implosion — these conditions allow for fusion reactions to take place.
