Fusion

Abstract

Energy derived from fused nuclei may become widely used by the middle of the next century. The sun uses its strong gravity to compress nuclei to high densities. In addition, temperatures in the sun are extremely high, so that the positively charged nuclei have enough energy to overcome their mutual electrical repulsion and draw near enough to fuse. Such resources are not readily available on the earth. The particles that fuse most easily are the nuclei of deuterium (D, a hydrogen isotope carrying an extra neutron) and tritium (T, an isotope with two extra neutrons). Yet to fuse even D and T, scientists have to heat the hydrogen gases intensely and also confine them long enough that the particle density multiplied by the confinement time exceeds 1014 seconds per cubic centimeter. Fusion research since the 1950s has focused on two ways of achieving this number: inertial confinement and magnetic confinement. This article briefly discusses the fundamentals of fusion, use of magnetic fields, and future prospects of fusion as an energy source.