The US Department of Energy said Sunday it would announce a “major scientific breakthrough” this week after media reports that a federal laboratory recently achieved a major milestone in nuclear fusion Research.
That financial times reported Sunday that scientists at California-based Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) had made a “net energy gain” from an experimental fusion reactor.
That would be the first time researchers have successfully produced more energy in a fusion reaction – the same kind that powers the Sun – than was used in the process, a potentially important step towards carbon-free energy.
Department of Energy and LLNL spokesmen told AFP they could not comment or provide confirmation on the matter FT reportbut said US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm would “announce a major scientific breakthrough on Tuesday.”.
The LLNL spokesman added that their “analysis is ongoing”.
“We look forward to sharing more on Tuesday when this process is complete,” she said.
The fusion reaction, which resulted in a net energy gain of 120 percent, took place in the past two weeks FT saidciting three people with knowledge of the preliminary results.
That Washington Post reported later Two people familiar with the research confirmed the development, with a senior fusion scientist telling the newspaper: “For most of us, it was only a matter of time.”
Nuclear fusion is viewed by some scientists as a potential energy of the future, especially as it produces little waste and no greenhouse gases.
“If this fusion energy breakthrough is true, it could fundamentally change the world,” tweeted Ted Lieua member of Congress from California.
Fusion differs from nuclear fission, the technique currently used in nuclear power plants, in that two atomic nuclei are fused together rather than fissioning one.
The LLNL fusion facility consists of nearly 200 lasers, the size of three football fields, that bombard a tiny point with high energy to trigger a fusion reaction.
