US to announce ‘major scientific breakthrough’ in nuclear fusion


The British daily FinancialTimes reported on Sunday that scientists in California recently obtained a “net energy gainof an experimental fusion reactor.

The U.S. Department of Energy said Sunday it was preparing to announce a “major scientific breakthrough this weekin the field of nuclear fusion. The British daily FinancialTimes reported hours earlier that scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), located in California, recently obtained a “net energy gainof an experimental fusion reactor.

It would be the first time that researchers have succeeded in producing more energy in a fusion reaction – like the one that powers the Sun – than they have consumed in the process, which would be a significant breakthrough. in the search for carbon-free energy. Asked to comment on the FT article, spokespersons for the Department of Energy and the LLNL told AFP that US Secretary of State for Energy Jennifer Granholm will host an event on Tuesday where she “will herald a major scientific breakthrough“.

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Changing the game for the planet»

The LLNL spokesperson added that “the analysis (was) still in progress“. “We look forward to sharing more information on Tuesday when this process is complete.“, she added. The fusion reaction that produced a net energy gain of 120% occurred within the past two weeks, the FT reported, citing three people with knowledge of the preliminary results.

Nuclear fusion is considered by its defenders as the energy of tomorrow, in particular because it produces little waste and no greenhouse gases. “If this breakthrough (…) is real, it could be a game-changer for the planettweeted California Congressman Ted Lieu after the FT report was released. Fusion differs from fission, a technique currently used in nuclear power plants, which consists of breaking the bonds of heavy atomic nuclei to recover energy.

Fusion is the reverse process: we “married» two light atomic nuclei to create a heavy one. In this case two isotopes (atomic variants) of hydrogen, giving rise to helium. The LLNL facility consists of nearly 200 lasers the size of three football fields, which target a tiny point with high levels of energy to initiate a fusion reaction.


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