Scientists Say Their Giant Laser Has Produced Nuclear Fusion

Kali74

The new technique can't reach "ignition," which is the point at which the hydrogen fusion feeds on itself to make more. Even so, JET's Cowley says, this is still a big moment for NIF.

"I think it's still a very important step forward, they reached fusion conditions, they made some fusion happen, and that's not been done before [with a laser]," he says.

Hurricane says no one knows for sure whether NIF can really reach the point of ignition. "It's not up to me; it's up to Mother Nature," he says. "But we're certainly going to try."

Scientists Say Their Giant Laser Has Produced Nuclear Fusion

It's a big step forward I think but nothing to dance about yet. It seems that the scientists working on this project have figured out the major problem with achieving fusion, previously they would get fuel leaks all over the place when shooting the hydrogen with a laser, they've no figured out how to keep that from happening. However even though they got more power out of the hydrogen than the laser put in, it still takes an enormous amount of power to fire those lasers, certainly more than they got out of the helium they created. What this means really is, we need to design better lasers. This is a very encouraging step.

it's rubbish and useless for energy production for civil uses.

every time they fire the lasers they have to replace THE VERY EXPENSIVE OPTICS and removed the evaporated metal sludge from the chamber.

This can take many hours.

remember the SLIGHTEST imperfection and this dumb contraption won't work.

beckybecky
it's rubbish and useless for energy production for civil uses.

That's because it's a research facility, and it's not intended for energy production for civil uses.

reply to post by Kali74


Of course he says it's up to "Mother Nature" (capitalized, proper noun) and not God. That's almost as bad as when Darwin capitalized "Man" and told us we come from Old World Monkeys.

reply to post by beckybecky


Once they ignite the fusion it will create it's own fuel.

Bedlam

neo96
What would be nice is fusion reactors powered by He3.

A very famous lab you've heard of is working on p-B11 fusion, which doesn't require any rare materials and has the same benefits. They're talking major smack, but it's classified and I can't get any solid details. Dammit.

the lockheed fusor?

reply to post by FreeWillAnomaly


He never said that at all...get your facts right.

Back to the OP the future is looking a little brighter with this tech. I know an engineer who made the gears in a reactor in Cambridge many years ago and I used to have the lead researchers email so I asked him to send me a lot of info on it,, he did but my harddrive broke and I deleted the email grrr.

crazyewok

Bedlam

neo96
What would be nice is fusion reactors powered by He3.

A very famous lab you've heard of is working on p-B11 fusion, which doesn't require any rare materials and has the same benefits. They're talking major smack, but it's classified and I can't get any solid details. Dammit.

the lockheed fusor?

Technically, I suppose - it's in the Skunk Works. I tend to think of them as separate from LM.

Bedlam


Technically, I suppose - it's in the Skunk Works. I tend to think of them as separate from LM.

Its the one im thinking of then

It does look promising. And with the public anouncment it must be pretty far along in development. I take there claims of fusion in 5 years pretty seroulsy.

crazyewok

Bedlam


Technically, I suppose - it's in the Skunk Works. I tend to think of them as separate from LM.

Its the one im thinking of then

It does look promising. And with the public anouncment it must be pretty far along in development. I take there claims of fusion in 5 years pretty seroulsy.

Like I said, the only "leaks" I've managed to gouge out of people were vague rumors of it working really well, although it working at all is a big plus with p-B11.

I'm getting that out of the Navy bunch that's running AGEE, too. Like it's progressing better than you hear about. We'll see, I suppose, Bussard was convinced they'd hit better than breakeven for a brief and shining moment before they flamed the setup back in what, 2008?

reply to post by Bedlam


Well it promising. Im guessing even if they are makeing progress better than what they are saying they want to keep it on the down low. I mean most people think fusion is a pipe dream due to all the false promsing and disapointments dateing back to the 50's. People are likley betting against it and expecting it to fail. Even the most sucesfull projects hit a bump and there likley fear that even a small issue may get the program cut.

reply to post by Bedlam


Interesting...I thought the skunkworks project was D-T fusion. Is this the one run by Charles Chase?

reply to post by beckybecky


Wow your a nuclear physicist now? Your a tro.....sorry girl of many talents.

crazyewok
reply to post by beckybecky

 

Wow your a nuclear physicist now? Your a tro.....sorry girl of many talents.

you don't seem to understand.unlike some people who are very narrow minded i am very broad minded.i know nearly everything and i have a wide perspective.

this single shot gadget is simply for weapons.

it can fire a single shot a day.what use is it?

will you be able to run your toaster of it?

as i write this i have a pizza in front of me.

perhaps your super duper lazer can zap it and make some energy to keep my feet warm.

reply to post by beckybecky


Have a pitty star for giveing me a good laugh.

Sorry but you dont undersatnd R&D deveopment and the point of concepts and prototypes.

reply to post by beckybecky


I never trust anyone who tells you they know nearly everything..because they are lying.
This when up and running will be the greatest thing to happen to humanity, it will be the cornerstone of space travel and sorting this planet out.

reply to post by boymonkey74

DARWIN, in his "Descent of Man", specifically states that man is,descended from "Old World monkeys". You will find the statement in next to the last Paragraph of Chapter Six. His precise language is worth remembering :


"The Simiadae then branched off into two great stems, the New World and Old World Monkeys; and from the latter at a remote period, Man, the wonder and glory of the universe, proceeded."


In spite of this, there are those who will deliberately misrepresent Darwin by stating that he never claimed we are descended from monkeys. Thus if you go to Rochester, N, Y., and visit the Rochester Museum of Art and Sciences, you will find there, in a case exhibit of man's family tree, a card bearing these words:


"As Darwin pointed out, there is no reason to believe that man descended from any monkey or ape ..."

essays-of-an-atheist.blogspot.com...

I thought the atheists blog would be a neutral source, and while I have read it in the Descent of Man myself, I don't feel like searching for it. You could just search the words, though, and you will see the truth. That is a direct quote.

Read the Descent of Man for yourself and see:

darwin-online.org.uk...

Back to the OP

Don't claim that "Mother Nature" (capitalized) will decide something and I won't point out the fallacy of it. Of course, similar to how Darwin claimed we evolved from Old World Monkeys, your kids probably won't hear about it in school because of how silly it sounds.

reply to post by Tajlakz


You always start there. But it generates a metric crapton of high energy neutrons. Did you see the diagram? The one I saw didn't have a lithium curtain, although for all I know I saw an older one.

eta: you'll also hear him discuss direct conversion to electrical power. You can't do that with a neutron emitting reaction like D-T, but p-B11 works well. Straight D-D would as well but it produces tritium so in practice any D-D reactor is also burning D-T. The neutrons beat your system apart as well as posing a truly awful radiation hazard, unless you use something like a molten lithium curtain. This protects the bystanders and lets you extract some of the neutron energy by using the heat to drive a turbine but the reactor innards still degrade. BTW, the thing is sort of a goofy inside out polywell design at first glance.

beckybecky

crazyewok
reply to post by beckybecky

 

Wow your a nuclear physicist now? Your a tro.....sorry girl of many talents.

you don't seem to understand.unlike some people who are very narrow minded i am very broad minded.i know nearly everything and i have a wide perspective.

this single shot gadget is simply for weapons.

it can fire a single shot a day.what use is it?

will you be able to run your toaster of it?

as i write this i have a pizza in front of me.

perhaps your super duper lazer can zap it and make some energy to keep my feet warm.

Well becky becky. Here is the problem with your analysis:
Ideally you really only need a one shot igniter. If you can hammer out the other problems once you get your fusion reaction going and it is a self-sustaining reaction you are good to go. That is pretty much the target. If you have to constantly or continually inject massive amounts of energy into the system to keep it going you will not have the optimum result.
Ideally you would want a self sustaining process whereby all you need to do is inject small amounts of fuel (say, hydrogen or helium) and collect the rewards (heat converted into electricity). In this case all you need is an "igniter" to initiate the process.
If you are going to use a massive laser to maintain the fusion then the whole process is much less efficient. The idea is to generate more energy (hopefully much more) than you are introducing into the process. Otherwise, why bother.

neo96
reply to post by crazyewok

 

1) Likley 10 years 2) You dont need "bang" for home energy. If solar power be made dirt cheap and provide the power for a home then why bother with fossil fuels unless you love burning money?

So like how totally awesome is solar/alternative energy when they are covered in foot plus snow and ice?

And when a tornado, and hurricanes rips them off their foundations.

Guess some people do love burning money.

Think the last month in the US should give everyone who supports alternative energy pause.

Because their 'energy' production is less during winter. If at all.

Solar panels are usually attached to the roof of your house, above the shingles or tiles. Going by the construction materials of most homes, you'll find your roof torn off, but with the solar panels still attached.

They also have small heating elements to melt the snow and ice off the panels, just like car windscreens.

When the ground is covered in snow and ice, that actually helps to reflect light onto the solar panels.

The new technique can't reach "ignition," which is the point at which the hydrogen fusion feeds on itself to make more.

To my ears that sounds like a dangerous thing. If these scientists actually succeeded on creating a fusion that feeds on itself to create more fusion, then wouldn't that basically create a new sun that continues to grow & grow until the entire earth is swallowed into the energy? I mean, what makes you think you could control that kind of power?