Scientists Successfully Replicate , Fusion Ignition Breakthrough.<br />Reuters reports that researchers at the Lawrence <br />Livermore National Laboratory have successfully <br />repeated their breakthrough fusion power experiment.<br />The fusion ignition breakthrough was accomplished <br />at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on July 30. .<br />The experiment produced a higher energy <br />yield than the initial breakthrough <br />which occurred in December. .<br />According to a Lawrence Livermore <br />spokesperson, the final results of the <br />experiment are still being analyzed.<br />On December 5, the team achieved fusion ignition, <br />generating 3.15 megajoules of energy out of the 2.05 <br />megajoules used to power lasers in the process.<br />To achieve fusion ignition, scientists focus lasers <br />on a target of fuel, fusing two light atoms into <br />a single denser one and releasing energy. .<br />The department stressed that the now-repeated process <br />has again produced more energy from fusion than <br />the amount of energy needed to drive the process.<br />The Energy Department called the accomplishment , "a major scientific breakthrough decades in the <br />making that will pave the way for advancements <br />in national defense and the future of clean power.".<br />The Energy Department called the accomplishment , "a major scientific breakthrough decades in the <br />making that will pave the way for advancements <br />in national defense and the future of clean power.".<br />Scientists have long known that nuclear fusion was <br />the powerful process at work in the sun and <br />have looked to replicate it on Earth for decades.<br />Scientists have long known that nuclear fusion was <br />the powerful process at work in the sun and <br />have looked to replicate it on Earth for decades.<br />The breakthrough could have implications for the fight <br />to curb climate change if the technology can be scaled <br />up to a commercial level in the coming decades
