Also: nuclear power, ITER, National Ignition Facility, fusion ignition
Fission splits heavy atoms in today's nuclear plants; fusion joins light atoms, the way the Sun does.
Only what the cited papers report.
Values as stated in the cited paper's abstract.
| Property | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NIF target gain (Dec 2022) | 1.5 | Abu-Shawareb 2024 |
| NIF fusion yield | 3.1 MJ | Abu-Shawareb 2024 |
Search Google Patents for this topic: all patents · recent applications (2022+)
Patent searches are generated from the topic's key terms; a patent is a legal claim, not proof that something works. See the Patents page.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Export this topic's references: BibTeX · RIS (Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley)
Kharecha and Hansen calculated that global nuclear power has prevented an average of 1.84 million air-pollution deaths and 64 Gt CO2-eq of emissions compared with fossil fuels.
As reported in: Kharecha, Hansen (2013). Prevented Mortality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Historical and Projected Nuclear Power. Environmental Science & Technology. doi:10.1021/es3051197
The NIF team reported that on December 5, 2022, 2.05 MJ of laser light produced 3.1 MJ of fusion yield, a target gain of 1.5 and the first lab demonstration of exceeding scientific breakeven.
As reported in: Abu-Shawareb, Acree, Adams et al. (2024). Achievement of Target Gain Larger than Unity in an Inertial Fusion Experiment. Physical Review Letters. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.065102
Aymar and colleagues described the redesigned ITER tokamak, intended to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy at about half the earlier cost target.
As reported in: Aymar, Barabaschi, Shimomura (2002). The ITER design. Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. doi:10.1088/0741-3335/44/5/304
Abstract only