The world’s biggest laser ready to go on a fusion energy quest
The world’s biggest laser is all ready to fire up and recreate fusion as observed at the center of the stars. Built at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the laser cost $3.5 billion and took 12 years to build. The experiment will see 192 beams from the giant laser focused on tiny hydrogen pellet. The pulse will last for 20 nanoseconds, and in that time, it will impart 500 trillion watts to the pellet. The energy is enough to kick start the deuterium-tritium fusion reaction, where the fuel will be compressed to an incredibly dense mass and temperature will reach a staggering 100 million degrees Celsius.
Energy gain from the experiment is what scientists will be looking for. If it creates more energy than what was required to initiate the reaction, we will move closer to a clean, limitless source of energy: fusion. NIF expects the energy released will be 10 to 100 times more than the energy injected.
Via: BBC
