Basic Fusion
Nuclear fusion refers to reactions in which lighter nuclei are combined to become heavier nuclei. Several such reactions release energy that can, in principle, be harnessed to provide fusion power. The lowest energy reaction occurs in a mix of deuterium and tritium, when the ions have to have a temperature of at least 4 keV (kiloelectronvolts), equivalent to about 45 million kelvins. At such temperatures, the fuel atoms are ionized and constitute a plasma. In a practical fusion power plant, fusion reactions have to occur fast enough to make up for energy losses. The rate of reaction varies with the temperature and the density of the fuel and the loss rate is characterized by the energy confinement time τE. The minimum conditions required are expressed in the Lawson criterion. In magnetic confinement fusion, the necessary conditions are approached by heating a plasma contained by magnetic fields. This has proven to be very difficult in practice. The complexity of the systems applied detracts from the usefulness of the design for a practical generator.
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