US Teases 'Major' Scientific Breakthrough Amid Fusion Energy Reports
By Aashirwad
December, 12
California-based Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) had achieved a “net energy gain” from an experimental fusion reactor.
The US Department of Energy said Sunday it would announce a “major scientific breakthrough” this week...
...after media reported a federal laboratory had recently achieved a major milestone in nuclear fusion research.
Energy Department and LLNL spokespeople said US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm would “announce a major scientific breakthrough” on Tuesday.
The fusion reaction that produced a 120 percent net energy gain occurred in the past two weeks
Nuclear fusion is considered by some scientists to be a potential energy of the future, particularly as it produces little waste and no greenhouse gases.
Fusion differs from fission, the technique currently used in nuclear power plants, by fusing two atomic nuclei instead of splitting one.
The LLNL fusion facility consists of almost 200 lasers the size of three football fields, which bombard a tiny spot with high levels of energy to initiate a fusion reaction.