Scientists and engineers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California for the first time successfully produced more energy from a nuclear fusion reaction than the laser power needed to start it—reaching a key milestone in the 60-year effort to achieve “fusion ignition.”
The U.S. Energy Dept, for which the lab is a key research arm, announced the result at a Dec. 13 press briefing—calling it a major scientific breakthrough that will advance national security and offer potential to produce power that is clean, carbon free and reliable—although that reality remains “a few decades” away, agency officials and scientists said.