All The NewsCold Fusion NewsAbout

First practical use for nuclear fusion could help cancer treatment

New discovery points the way to more compact fusion power plants

New discovery points the way to more compact fusion power plants

8 months ago

A magnetic cage keeps the more than 100 million degree Celsius hot plasmas in nuclear fusion devices at a distance from the vessel wall so that they do not melt. This could make it possible to build smaller and cheaper fusion reactors for energy production.

Simplified calculations reproduce complex plasma flows

Simplified calculations reproduce complex plasma flows

8 months ago

Accurate and fast calculation of heat flow (heat transport) due to fluctuations and turbulence in plasmas is an important issue in elucidating the physical mechanisms of fusion reactors and in predicting and controlling their performance.

Resistance in tokamak vessel walls can cause disruptive energy loss

Resistance in tokamak vessel walls can cause disruptive energy loss

9 months ago

Under certain conditions, the fusion devices known as tokamaks can suffer a sudden loss of energy to the vessel walls. Researchers call this energy loss process a disruption. One cause is a magnetohydrodynamic (i.e., conducting plasma in a magnetic field) instability, or mode, coupling to the vacuum vessel.

Laser shots could spark additional discoveries in astrophysics

Laser shots could spark additional discoveries in astrophysics

9 months ago

In December, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made headlines worldwide. This first-of-its-kind result will provide invaluable insight into the potential for clean energy from fusion.

TAE makes world-first readings of magnetically-confined H-B fusion

TAE makes world-first readings of magnetically-confined H-B fusion

9 months ago

We've spoken to this California company before about its impressive progress and ambitious plans in the fusion power space. With more than US$1.2 billion in investments behind it, TAE has come in ahead of schedule with results from its fifth-generation fusion device, called Norman, which was designed to sustain plasma at 30 million °C (54 million °F), but which has already broken through 75 million °C (135 million °F).

Power plasma with gigajoule energy turnover generated for eight minutes

Power plasma with gigajoule energy turnover generated for eight minutes

9 months ago

After successful recommissioning in autumn 2022, the Greifswald nuclear fusion experiment has surpassed an important target. In 2023, an energy turnover of 1 gigajoule was targeted. Now the researchers have even achieved 1.3 gigajoules and a new record for discharge time on Wendelstein 7-X: the hot plasma could be maintained for eight minutes.

Stuck in the rough: How aging reactor walls may exhibit lower erosion

Stuck in the rough: How aging reactor walls may exhibit lower erosion

10 months ago

As plasma circulates in a fusion device, the surface of the device that faces the plasma erodes. This releases particles of surface material. Most erosion occurs through a process called sputtering, where a particle strikes a surface and results in the ejection of atoms from that surface.

New strategy uses ionic liquids to change laser colors with ease

New strategy uses ionic liquids to change laser colors with ease

10 months ago

Lasers are intense beams of colored light. Depending on their color and other properties, they can scan your groceries, cut through metal, eradicate tumors, and even trigger nuclear fusion. But not every laser color is available with the right properties for a specific job.