termotuumasünteesil

Termotuumasünteesil is the Estonian term for thermonuclear fusion. It refers to the process by which atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy in the process. This is the same fundamental reaction that powers stars, including our Sun.

The most common fusion reaction involves isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium. When these isotopes are subjected to extremely high temperatures and pressures, their nuclei overcome their mutual electrostatic repulsion and fuse together. This fusion creates a helium nucleus and releases a neutron, along with a significant amount of energy. The energy released is a direct consequence of the mass-energy equivalence principle, where a small amount of mass is converted into energy.

Achieving and sustaining the conditions necessary for controlled thermonuclear fusion on Earth has been a major scientific and engineering challenge. It requires temperatures in the tens of millions of degrees Celsius, comparable to those found in the core of the Sun. At these temperatures, matter exists in a plasma state, an ionized gas where electrons are stripped from atoms. Various methods are being explored to confine and heat this plasma, including magnetic confinement (like tokamaks and stellarators) and inertial confinement (using powerful lasers). The potential benefits of controlled fusion power are immense, offering a virtually inexhaustible and clean energy source with minimal long-lived radioactive waste compared to nuclear fission.