kjarnahleðslu

Kjarnahleðsla is an Icelandic term that translates to "nuclear fusion" in English. It refers to the process where two or more atomic nuclei combine to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles (neutrons or protons). The difference in mass between the reactants and the products is then converted into energy, a process that was famously described by Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc².

Nuclear fusion is the primary source of energy for stars, including our Sun. In the Sun's core, immense pressure and temperature force hydrogen nuclei to fuse into helium, releasing vast amounts of energy in the form of light and heat. This energy sustains life on Earth.

Scientists are actively researching controlled nuclear fusion as a potential source of clean and virtually limitless energy for human use. The goal is to replicate the fusion process occurring in stars under controlled conditions on Earth. This involves heating a plasma of light atomic nuclei, typically isotopes of hydrogen like deuterium and tritium, to extremely high temperatures (millions of degrees Celsius) and containing it using magnetic fields or inertial confinement. If successful, fusion power plants could provide a sustainable energy solution with minimal radioactive waste compared to current nuclear fission power plants. However, achieving and sustaining controlled fusion remains a significant scientific and engineering challenge.