US scientists claim making breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy
Laboratory in California, US records reaction with net energy gain
Scientists in the United States claim to have made a breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy, producing more energy than consumed in a reaction for the first time.
The achievement was made at the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near San Francisco, according to a person familiar with the research, who requested anonymity to discuss results that have not yet been disclosed fully in public, reports Bloomberg.
To fuse hydrogen isotopes maintained in a superheated plasma state, lasers were used to bombard them, producing a neutron and carbon-free clean energy in the process.
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Scientists have been working with the technology for decades, but producing more energy than it uses has been difficult.
The Department of Energy, United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the Financial Times, which first published the findings, the reaction produced around 2.5 megajoules of energy, compared to the 2.1 megajoules necessary to power the lasers.
