# Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles (neutrons or protons). The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the release or absorption of energy. This difference in group arises due to the difference in nuclear binding energy between the atomic nuclei before and after the reaction. Nuclear fusion is the process that powers active or central sequence stars and other high-magnitude stars, where large amounts of energy are released. Nuclear fusion

### DOE National Laboratory Makes History by Achieving Fusion Ignition​

• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) today announced the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)—a significant scientific breakthrough decades in the making that will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power
• To pursue this concept, LLNL built a series of increasingly powerful laser systems, leading to the creation of NIF, the world's largest and most energetic laser system. NIF—located at LLNL in Livermore, Calif.—is the size of a sports stadium and uses powerful laser beams to create temperatures and pressures like those in the cores of stars and giant planets and inside exploding nuclear weapons

### More invested in nuclear fusion in last 12 months than a past decade​

• The clean energy solution has attracted about $2.8bn (£2.5bn) in global investment over the past year, compared with$1.9bn (£1.6bn) over the past decade.
• There was also a breakthrough in late 2021 when researchers at the Joint European Torus (JET) facility in Oxford released a record-breaking 59 megajoules of fusion - almost tripling the previous 21.7-megajoule record from 1997.