U.S. government confirms breakthrough in fusion energy - fusion reaction produced 53.66% more energy than it took to start it

Scientists at the U.S. Livermore National Laboratory were indeed able to obtain more fusion energy than it took to start the reaction. And the output exceeded the preliminary indicators.

Here's What We Know

Yesterday we wrote that scientists used a laser to irradiate hydrogen plasma during an experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the U.S. Livermore National Laboratory. It was originally reported that they managed to get 20% more energy than they spent - 2.5 MJ versus 2.1 MJ.

As it turned out, the world's largest laser installation, consisting of 192 lasers, required 2.05 MJ. At the output scientists got 3.15 MJ, i.e. 53.66% more. The experiment was conducted on December 5, 2022. This is officially confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). They called the scientists' achievement a feat, the road to which took decades.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said the work is a landmark achievement for NIF. It will spur even more scientific discoveries in the future.

Source: LNLL