![\"Historic](\"https:\/\/i.ndtvimg.com\/i\/2017-03\/nuclear-reactor-istock_650x400_51490779852.jpg\"\/ "\\"Historic")
<\/div>\nScientists have been working for decades to develop nuclear fusion. (Representational)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Washington: <\/b><\/p>\n
US researchers announced a historic nuclear fusion breakthrough on Tuesday, hailing a “landmark achievement” in the quest for a source of unlimited, clean power and an end to reliance on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California said an experiment it conducted this month “produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it.”<\/p>\n
The US Department of Energy described the achievement of fusion ignition as a “major scientific breakthrough” that will lead to “advancements in national defense and the future of clean power.”<\/p>\n
LLNL director Kim Budil described it as “is one of the most significant scientific challenges ever tackled by humanity.”<\/p>\n
Scientists have been working for decades to develop nuclear fusion — touted by its supporters as a clean, abundant and safe source of energy that could eventually allow humanity to break its dependence on the fossil fuels driving a global climate crisis.<\/p>\n
The LLNL said a team at its National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history on December 5, achieving what is known as “scientific energy breakeven.”<\/p>\n
“This is a landmark achievement for the researchers and staff at the National Ignition Facility who have dedicated their careers to seeing fusion ignition become a reality, and this milestone will undoubtedly spark even more discovery,” US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said.<\/p>\n
– More developments needed –<\/strong><\/p>\n Nuclear power plants around the world currently use fission — the splitting of a heavy atom’s nucleus — to produce energy.<\/p>\n Fusion on the other hand combines two light hydrogen atoms to form one heavier helium atom, releasing a large amount of energy in the process.<\/p>\n That’s the process that occurs inside stars, including our sun.<\/p>\n On Earth, fusion reactions can be provoked by heating hydrogen to extreme temperatures inside specialized devices.<\/p>\n Researchers at the LLNL use the massive National Ignition Facility — 192 ultra-powerful lasers all pointed into a thimble-sized cylinder filled with hydrogen.<\/p>\n Like fission, fusion is carbon-free during operation, but has many more advantages: it poses no risk of nuclear disaster and produces much less radioactive waste.<\/p>\n However, there is still a long way to go before fusion is viable on an industrial scale.<\/p>\n “Many advanced science and technology developments are still needed to achieve simple, affordable IFE to power homes and businesses,” LLNL said.<\/p>\n Other nuclear fusion projects are also in development around the world, including the major international project known as ITER, which is currently under construction in France.<\/p>\n Instead of lasers, ITER will use a technique known as magnetic confinement, containing a swirling mass of fusing hydrogen plasma within a massive donut-shaped chamber.<\/p>\n (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\nFeatured Video Of The Day<\/h3>\n