What research is being done on fusion as an energy source?

Research on fusion as an energy source primarily focuses on making it a viable and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

Fusion energy, the process that powers the sun and stars, is being studied as a potential source of safe, carbon-free, and virtually limitless energy. The main challenge lies in creating and maintaining the conditions necessary for fusion to occur, which involve extremely high temperatures and pressures.

One of the most promising and widely studied approaches to achieving these conditions is through the use of a device called a tokamak. This is a doughnut-shaped machine that uses magnetic fields to confine and control the hot plasma where fusion occurs. The largest and most advanced of these is the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) being built in France. This international project, involving 35 countries, aims to demonstrate that fusion can be achieved on a scale and in a form that could be replicated for commercial power production.

Another approach being researched is inertial confinement fusion (ICF), where high-energy lasers are used to compress and heat small pellets of fusion fuel. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States is the leading research facility for this method.

There are also several smaller, private companies pursuing alternative methods. For example, Tri Alpha Energy is developing a field-reversed configuration (FRC), a type of plasma confinement where the plasma itself generates the magnetic field. Another company, First Light Fusion, is investigating a method called projectile fusion, where a high-speed projectile is used to compress and heat the fusion fuel.

In addition to these technical challenges, researchers are also studying the materials that could be used in a fusion reactor. These materials must be able to withstand the extreme conditions inside the reactor, and also not become radioactive themselves.

Finally, there is ongoing research into the fusion fuels themselves. The most commonly proposed fuel is a mixture of two isotopes of hydrogen: deuterium, which can be extracted from seawater, and tritium, which can be produced from lithium. However, other potential fuels, such as helium-3 or boron, are also being investigated.