Laser fusion experiment yields record energy at Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility

Laser fusion experiment yields record energy at Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility

Source

LIVERMORE, Calif. -- In the early morning hours of Aug.13, Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility (NIF) focused all 192 of its ultra-powerful laser beams on a tiny deuterium-tritium filled capsule. In the nanoseconds that followed, the capsule imploded and released a neutron yield of nearly 3x1015, or approximately 8,000 joules of neutron energy -- approximately three times NIF's previous neutron yield record for cryogenic implosions.

(visit the link for the full news article)

It's coming!!!! A world where we no longer rely on fossil fuels. Only thing that worries me is that the evil CEO's get together and buy this out to silence it, or to continue charging the same amounts for our electricity.

Imagine if we can have a bunch of Mini-NIF's, each one powering a city, block, or even a house!!!!

WOW!!!!! Exciting Times Ahead!!!!!
Source

"The yield was significantly greater than the energy deposited in the hot spot by the implosion," said Ed Moses, principle associate director for NIF and Photon Science. "This represents an important advance in establishing a self-sustaining burning target, the next critical step on the path to fusion ignition on NIF."

Almost there!!!!

reply to post by dominicus


I hope to live to see this technology flourish - another step indeed !

The link in the OP is a bit wonky -


Maybe this one is better:

Laser fusion experiment yields record energy at Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility

Now if only someone would condense it and use it to fuel a giant robot.

What dreams may come....

"Cold steel driven by the hearts of frozen starlight, burning forever in an eternity of ice."

The sooner this happens, the better. We need to end our dependency on fossil fuels and the grip these middle eastern oil countries have over us. We also need switch to clean energy before this planet becomes un inhabitable. Just hope I live to see this.

So it took 192 ultra-powerful laser beams to produce just 8000 joules?

I bet it sees weaponization, long before it actually becomes a benefit to any of us. If we ever benefit from it at all. Yeah, I guess I am a bit cynical these days

Originally posted by TKDRL
I bet it sees weaponization, long before it actually becomes a benefit to any of us. If we ever benefit from it at all. Yeah, I guess I am a bit cynical these days

I am right there with you.

I was about to start a countdown for a headline that reads

" Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility top fusion scientist committed suicide by multiple gunshot wounds to the back of the head"

reply to post by dominicus


Awesome.
That's enough energy in a peanut btw.

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
So it took 192 ultra-powerful laser beams to produce just 8000 joules?

Yup, the story sounds impressive on he surface but note they're only talking about the energy focused on the implosion. It took 1,700,000 joules overall to yield just 8,000. It's a promising progression but there's still a long
way to go.

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
So it took 192 ultra-powerful laser beams to produce just 8000 joules?

Originally posted by grey580
reply to post by dominicus

 

Awesome.
That's enough energy in a peanut btw.

Originally posted by bastion

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
So it took 192 ultra-powerful laser beams to produce just 8000 joules?

Yup, the story sounds impressive on he surface but note they're only talking about the energy focused on the implosion. It took 1,700,000 joules overall to yield just 8,000. It's a promising progression but there's still a long
way to go.

Ummmmmmm, do you guys understand how Fusion works? Sure they have to put a ton into it, but once it reaches a certain point, it's self-sustaining and constantly throwing out massive amounts of energy, while they can turn off the initial lasers/power that started the process:

Early calculations show that fusion reactions in the hot plasma started to self-heat the burning core and enhanced the yield by nearly 50 percent, pushing close to the margins of alpha burn, where the fusion reactions dominate the process.

IMO This is HUGE news, because at first it was all theoretical on paper, and now they're slowly ramping things up, and everything is acting exactly as they predicted it would. Once they get to the "Alpha Burn," the initial amount of power is turned off, and then we officially have Fusion.

Originally posted by dominicus
It's coming!!!! A world where we no longer rely on fossil fuels. Only thing that worries me is that the evil CEO's get together and buy this out to silence it, or to continue charging the same amounts for our electricity.

Imagine if we can have a bunch of Mini-NIF's, each one powering a city, block, or even a house!!!!

WOW!!!!! Exciting Times Ahead!!!!!
Source

"The yield was significantly greater than the energy deposited in the hot spot by the implosion," said Ed Moses, principle associate director for NIF and Photon Science. "This represents an important advance in establishing a self-sustaining burning target, the next critical step on the path to fusion ignition on NIF."

Almost there!!!!

edit on 26-8-2013 by dominicus because: (no reason given)

edit on 26-8-2013 by dominicus because: (no reason given)

Sorry no.
This method will not work.
Keep trying.

reply to post by GargIndia

Sorry no. This method will not work. Keep trying.

Lol, Oh okay random guy. I completely believe you because you have several Phd's, have been working for decades on showing the proof that it won't work, and you posted plenty of evidence here on this forum to prove your point (SARCASM)

Get the heck outta here til you can bring some to back your empty words. sheesh

It's a step in the right direction but only a very tiny step on a long journey to an uncertain destination.

They achieved a 'single shot' measurable result and, in the process, the 'containment' itself was destroyed so making this a continuous process involves replacing that containment on the fly. That's a big ask and something that's been theorised and experimented with for 50 years or more because the problem is that temperature of 'hot' fusion vaporises all forms of matter. A 'magnetic bottle' would appear to be the only proposal that's up to the task but what happens when (not if) it fails at full power?

I'm not against fusion research, just being realistic considering the hurdles that have to be cleared to make it a success and safe to use here on terra firma. Hurdles like holding the fusion core, achieving greater than unity efficiency, dealing with intense radiation etc.

Interesting.
Step in the right direction, if indeed it is not eventually suppressed

Yikes a round robin

reply to post by UmbraSumus


I personaly think this method will stand a greater possibility then the NIF. Still a long ways off but at least it is being built.

So what's the deal, are they getting more energy out than they are putting in?

Essentially i'm asking if indeed there reactor is viable?

reply to post by dominicus


Oh that's interesting the are now near the apex point of a chain reaction. fusion powered space craft here it comes.

reply to post by dominicus


Nothing like creating a miniature sun, because nothing bad could come of that


In all seriousness, its a interesting development.

I also agree with the post above, how long before someone decides to drop a self sustaining fusion bomb..