Fusion Energy

Extracted Attributes

• Process

  Two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing energy.

• Challenges

  Achieving necessary pressure and confinement time, managing neutron radiation, economic viability (surpassing breakeven)

• Definition

  Proposed method of generating electricity by harnessing heat from nuclear fusion reactions.

• ICF Method

  Laser driving of fusion implosions

• Fuel (Stars)

  Protium (lightest hydrogen isotope)

• Energy Density

  10 million times more energy dense than coal

• Key Conditions

  Lawson criterion (sufficient temperature, pressure, and confinement time)

• State of Matter

  Plasma

• Tritium Half-life

  ~12.3 years

• Target Temperature

  Around 100 million Kelvin

• Alternative Designs

  Magnetized target fusion, new stellarator variations

• Dominant MCF Design

  Tokamak

• Products (DT Fusion)

  Helium nucleus and high-energy neutron

• Advantages over Fission

  Reduced high-level waste, enhanced safety

• Fuel (Proposed Reactors)

  Deuterium and Tritium (hydrogen isotopes)

• Tritium Generation Method

  Lithium breeding blankets

• Current Status (Net Power)

  Not yet achieved as of 2025

• Primary Research Approaches

  Magnetic Confinement Fusion (MCF), Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF)

Timeline

• Research into fusion reactors began. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  1940-01-01

• U.S. government support for fusion energy research and development began at the Atomic Energy Commission. (Source: Web Search)

  1950-01-01

• Tokamak designs dominated Magnetic Confinement Fusion (MCF) research after Soviet experiments were verified. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  1969-12-31

• Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) was developed. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  1970-01-01

• The ITER tokamak in France is under research and construction. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  Ongoing

• The National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser in the United States is under research. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  Ongoing

• China is constructing the world's largest experimental fusion energy facility. (Source: Summary, Related Documents)

  Ongoing

Fusion power

Fusion power is a proposed form of power generation that would generate electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing energy. Devices designed to harness this energy are known as fusion reactors. Research into fusion reactors began in the 1940s, but as of 2025, no device has reached net power. Fusion processes require fuel, in a state of plasma, and a confined environment with sufficient temperature, pressure, and confinement time. The combination of these parameters that results in a power-producing system is known as the Lawson criterion. In stellar cores the most common fuel is the lightest isotope of hydrogen (protium), and gravity provides the conditions needed for fusion energy production. Proposed fusion reactors would use the heavy hydrogen isotopes of deuterium and tritium for DT fusion, for which the Lawson criterion is the easiest to achieve. This produces a helium nucleus and an energetic neutron. Most designs aim to heat their fuel to around 100 million Kelvin. The necessary combination of pressure and confinement time has proven very difficult to produce. Reactors must achieve levels of breakeven well beyond net plasma power and net electricity production to be economically viable. Fusion fuel is 10 million times more energy dense than coal, but tritium is extremely rare on Earth, having a half-life of only ~12.3 years. Consequently, during the operation of envisioned fusion reactors, lithium breeding blankets are to be subjected to neutron fluxes to generate tritium to complete the fuel cycle. As a source of power, nuclear fusion has a number of potential advantages compared to fission. These include little high-level waste, and increased safety. One issue that affects common reactions is managing resulting neutron radiation, which over time degrades the reaction chamber, especially the first wall. Fusion research is dominated by magnetic confinement (MCF) and inertial confinement (ICF) approaches. MCF systems have been researched since the 1940s, initially focusing on the z-pinch, stellarator, and magnetic mirror. The tokamak has dominated MCF designs since Soviet experiments were verified in the late 1960s. ICF was developed from the 1970s, focusing on laser driving of fusion implosions. Both designs are under research at very large scales, most notably the ITER tokamak in France and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser in the United States. Researchers and private companies are also studying other designs that may offer less expensive approaches. Among these alternatives, there is increasing interest in magnetized target fusion, and new variations of the stellarator.

Web Search Results

• Fusion power - Wikipedia

  Fusion power is a proposed form of power generation that would generate electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing energy. Devices designed to harness this energy are known as fusion reactors. Research into fusion reactors began in the 1940s, but as of 2025, no device has reached net power. [...] E fusion {\\displaystyle E\_{\\text{fusion}}} Image 17: {\displaystyle E_{\text{fusion}}} is the energy released by that fusion reaction. [...] P fusion {\\displaystyle P\_{\\text{fusion}}} Image 15: {\displaystyle P_{\text{fusion}}} is the energy made by fusion, per time and volume _n_ is the number density of species A or B, of the particles in the volume ⟨ σ v A , B ⟩ {\\displaystyle \\langle \\sigma v\_{A,B}\\rangle } Image 16: {\displaystyle \langle \sigma v_{A,B}\rangle } is the cross section of that reaction, average over all the velocities of the two species _v_

• DOE Explains...Fusion Energy Science

  Fusion energy scienceis a multi-disciplinary field focused on the science needed to develop an energy source based on controlled fusion. Fusion occurs when two nuclei combine to form a new nucleus. This process occurs in our Sun and other stars. Creating conditions for fusion on Earth involves generating and sustaining a plasma. Plasmas are gases that are so hot that electrons are freed from atomic nuclei. Researchers use electric and magnetic fields to control the resulting collection of ions [...] U.S. government support for fusion energy research and development began in the 1950’s at the Atomic Energy Commission, the predecessor to the Department of Energy. Support for fusion continues in the Department of Energy Office of Science, which directs continuing research on the scientific basis for plasma confinement and other fusion-energy-related areas. The DOE fusion energy program helps researchers coordinate across the many fundamental sciences that are involved with fusion, including

• Fusion energy: Pathway to abundant power | NSF

  Nuclear fusion is the energy source of stars, including our sun. It occurs when two atomic nuclei, such as hydrogen isotopes, combine to form a new nucleus, which releases energy. Scientists are working to replicate fusion on Earth as a means to generate electricity for the power grid. Fusion energy would provide the benefit of a lasting power source that doesn't produce greenhouse gases or significant amounts of long-lived radioactive waste. MIT Plasma Fusion Center [...] NSF - National Science Foundation - Home Close navigation collage of imagery including two scientists, a small motherboard chip, and close up of black hole # Fusion energy: Pathway to abundant power The U.S. National Science Foundation invests in an array of projects and programs that advance fusion research and development, which are bringing society closer to conquering one of its biggest science and engineering challenges. [...] Fusion reactions take place in a state of matter called plasma, a super-hot, charged gas made of atomic nuclei and free-moving electrons. Because all nuclei are positively charged, they repel each other, preventing fusion under most conditions. However, the extreme heat of plasma causes the nuclei to move so fast that they overcome this repulsion, collide and then fuse. A confined plasma housing millions of these reactions every second can generate vast amounts of energy from very little fuel.

• What is nuclear fusion | IAEA

  Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one while releasing massive amounts of energy. Fusion reactions take place in a state of matter called plasma — a hot, charged gas made of positive ions and free-moving electrons with unique properties distinct from solids, liquids or gases. [...] While conditions that are very close to those required in a fusion reactor are now routinely achieved in experiments, improved confinement properties and stability of the plasma are still needed to maintain the reaction and produce energy in a sustained manner. Scientists and engineers from all over the world continue to develop and test new materials and design new technologies to achieve net fusion energy. See more information in the following video: ### The Future of Fusion Energy [...] Fusion could generate four times more energy per kilogram of fuel than fission (used in nuclear power plants) and nearly four million times more energy than burning oil or coal.

• Nuclear fusion power, fusion energy research, ITER | IAEA

  Nuclear energy can also be produced by fusion reactions of light nuclei. This technique promises many advantages and has attracted global research and development efforts. The IAEA has supported fusion energy research since its inception and helps Member States exchange and build knowledge on fusion science and technology. ## International fusion activities and the IAEA’s role

• Instance Of

  Q14928