Termonukleär

Termonukleär, or thermonuclear in English, is a term used to describe processes and technologies based on nuclear fusion that occurs at extremely high temperatures. Fusion combines light atomic nuclei, typically hydrogen isotopes, into heavier elements and releases energy. The term is commonly used to distinguish fusion-based energy or weapons from fission-based ones.

Fusion requires overcoming the electrostatic repulsion between positively charged nuclei, which in practice means temperatures of tens of millions of degrees. In stars, gravity provides confinement and heat; in human-made systems, researchers use either magnetic confinement (magnetic confinement fusion) or inertial confinement (laser or particle beams) to achieve the conditions long enough for fusion to occur.

Thermonuclear energy can refer to civilian fusion power research and potential electricity generation. In popular usage, it also refers to hydrogen bombs, or thermonuclear weapons, which use a fission primary to ignite fusion secondary, producing far larger yields than fission devices. The development of thermonuclear weapons marked a major escalation in the arms race during the mid-20th century.

Other contexts include safety, nonproliferation efforts, and scientific research into fusion energy, plasma physics, and high-energy density physics. Current international projects aim to achieve net energy gain in controlled fusion, with experiments such as tokamaks and laser facilities advancing toward practical fusion power.