NUCLEAR FUSION

 

Nuclear fusion, the process that's been lighting up stars for billions of years, has long been eyed by humans as the potential answer to our energy woes. But, much like capturing a greased pig at a county fair, achieving controlled fusion on Earth has proven to be a slippery proposition.

First on our list of hurdles is temperature. We're talking about temperatures in the range of 150 million degrees Celsius. Yes, you read that right. Million. That's several times hotter than the core of the Sun itself.

Once we've managed to create a miniature star on Earth, we then have to figure out how to squeeze it. You see, to get atomic nuclei to overcome their natural aversion to each other (they're all positively charged and, as the saying goes, opposites attract), we need to apply some serious pressure.

On the Sun, gravity does the job, but here on Earth, we're left trying to replicate that pressure using devices like tokamaks and stellarators.

Now, assuming we've managed to heat and squeeze our plasma (the state of matter we're dealing with at these temperatures), we're left with the task of containment. It's one thing to create a star on Earth, it's another thing entirely to keep it from melting everything in sight.

To do this, we use magnetic fields to keep the plasma from touching the reactor walls. Think of it as trying to hold a drop of water in your hand without actually touching it.

Finally, we come to the issue of net energy gain. The goal, of course, is to get more energy out of the fusion reaction than we put in to start it. To date, we're still working on achieving a sustained reaction that produces net energy.

The trials and tribulations of achieving fusion power requires the right ingredients, the right conditions, and a lot of patience. But we're getting there, one small step for atoms, one giant leap for mankind.