A fusion energy breakthrough in a government lab sounds like something out of a movie or a Marvel Comics book.
That’s because a Los Alamos National Laboratory-led team has tapped the power of “THOR,” according to a news release.
And while there isn’t a hammer-wielding god involved, there is potential for plenty of cleaner power thanks to the Thinned Hohlraum Optimization for Radflow diagnostic device. The team was able to achieve ignition through a self-contained feedback loop called burning plasma. It’s part of the way our sun continues to burn, according to the release and other government data.
It’s also extremely hard to sustain, making fusion energy an as-yet unrealized power source on Earth. But if experts can make a key breakthrough, the reaction could provide nearly unlimited energy. Unlike common fission reactors, fusion doesn’t produce long-lasting nuclear waste or carry meltdown risks. Fusion combines atoms to create energy, while fission splits them, according to the Department of Energy.
Powerful lasers creating astounding heat are needed to create ignition, something the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory first achieved in 2022. The extreme settings provide them with a setting to observe how materials respond to severe plasma conditions. And THOR is essentially a better window to look through, per the summary.
As lasers are fired at a gold-coated cylinder holding fusion fuel, a “bath” of X-rays is produced that is needed to create ignition. As part of the THOR process, the cylinder, known as a hohlraum, includes “windows” that allow some of the X-rays to escape. This technique gives the scientists another look at how materials are reacting to high heat and radiation, according to the release.
“We pulled this off in less than a year because of everyone’s commitment. We moved fast and we moved together, showing what can happen when the whole team is aligned and all-in,” THOR project lead Ryan Lester, a physicist, said.
It’s an exciting benchmark in the effort for sustainable fusion energy, as the power comes without heat-trapping air pollution that the World Health Organization said is a health problem for almost everyone on Earth. Indoor and outdoor dirty air is linked to 7 million premature deaths a year, per the WHO. A study has even associated it with dementia risks.
However, there are also nuclear pitfalls. The Los Alamos news release mentioned that the information they are gathering is also of value for weapons development. Experts and advocates on both sides continue to debate the repercussions of nuclear waste, meltdown risks, and the prospect of limitless, cleaner power.
Fission energy, powering 54 plants stateside, is still being developed as growing data center electricity demand strains the power grid.
For its part, fusion could resolve many of the concerns. The THOR project was completed in conjunction with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the National Ignition Facility. The experts plan to continue refining the diagnostic system, per the release.
“This is a game-changing breakthrough,” physicist Joseph Smidt said.
Solar energy is another clean energy option that is among the cheapest — second to wind — to develop, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It doesn’t provide weapons-related data or create radioactive waste, either.
Staying informed about emerging energy sources and how they impact the environment is important as you talk about the topics with friends and family. The conversations can lead to consensus about ways to achieve a cleaner future. Even your investments can be aligned to support companies and projects that share your values, often with strong returns.
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