Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

Saw this article and found it interesting. Lawrence livermore is planning a full scale test for Fall of 2010.
Its amazing they are expecting to create more energy than nuclear, solar, wind, coal and oil with zero emissions, using material the size of a pill and pointing a huge freakin laser at it.
Anyway, its a good read if you enjoy stuff like this.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/222792

Re: Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

I watched a show on the Science Channel about this last week. The size of the laser they are using is staggering, even thinking about 1 megajoule is crazy and they want to use 1.4 megajoules. They seem confident of the results with it putting out a ton of energy, but it sounds like they haven't figured out how to sustain the reaction yet. When they fire the laser the reaction only lasts for something like a millionth of a second.

More in depth info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Ignition_Facility

Re: Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

They have had fusion reactions before, using a retardedly huge capacitor discharging into a tungsten coil wrapped around a little sphere of helium or some such thing. The tungsten pretty much exploded and the energy released triggers the reaction. Same deal though, the reaction only lasts for a small amount of time.

Re: Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

Has no one played the game Half Life? I mean come on!

Re: Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

Haha, I thought of that when they were about to fire up the LHC.

Re: Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

Re: Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

LOL awesome picture

Re: Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

Interesting read, and I hope they are able to succeed. I've always been interested in the developments that are being made to create energy via nuclear fusion, especially when right now I work in the field of nuclear fission energy production. I'm very pro-nuclear energy, whether it be fission or fusion. But if they can master fusion energy production, than I think that will be a huge feat because in my opinion, it's a safer form of energy production, with less draw-backs than fission energy production.

Anyone here ever heard of the ITER plant out in Europe? Lots of people trying to figure fusion energy out, and that's good. The more the better, I'm excited to see if someone can figure it out and get it to work!!
http://www.iter.org/default.aspx

Re: Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

It's only a matter of time before we harness nuclear fusion energy. But who knows if it will happen 1 year from now or 100. Look how far fission has come in 50+ years, in the grand scheme of things it is still new to us.

Re: Laser Inertial Fusion Energy
 

Reminded me of this when I started first reading haha

http://www.newscientist.com/data/ima...7953-1_300.jpg