Tuumasünteesireaktor

A tuumasünteesireaktor, or fusion reactor, is a device designed to harness the energy released from nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear fusion is the process where two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a significant amount of energy in the process. This is the same reaction that powers stars, including our Sun.

The primary goal of a fusion reactor is to achieve and sustain controlled fusion reactions for practical energy generation. This requires overcoming the strong electrostatic repulsion between positively charged atomic nuclei. To achieve this, the fuel, typically isotopes of hydrogen like deuterium and tritium, must be heated to extremely high temperatures, reaching hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius. At these temperatures, the fuel exists in a state of plasma, an ionized gas.

Confining this superheated plasma is a major challenge. Two main approaches are being explored: magnetic confinement and inertial confinement. Magnetic confinement devices, such as tokamaks and stellarators, use powerful magnetic fields to hold the plasma away from the reactor walls. Inertial confinement uses high-powered lasers or particle beams to rapidly compress and heat a small pellet of fuel, initiating fusion before the fuel has time to disperse.

While significant progress has been made in fusion research, achieving a net energy gain – producing more energy than is consumed to initiate and sustain the reaction – remains a key hurdle. Despite these challenges, the potential for fusion power to provide a clean, abundant, and virtually inexhaustible energy source drives ongoing international research and development efforts.