Abstract:
PHYSICISTS FIRST SUSPECTED MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO that the fusing of hydrogen into helium powers the sun. It took researchers many years to unravel the secrets by which ...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
PHYSICISTS FIRST SUSPECTED MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO that the fusing of hydrogen into helium powers the sun. It took researchers many years to unravel the secrets by which lighter elements are smashed together into heavier ones inside stars, releasing energy in the process. And scientists and engineers have continued to study the sun's fusion process in hopes of one day using nuclear fusion to generate heat or electricity. But the prospect of meeting our energy needs this way remains elusive. The extraction of energy from nuclear fission, by contrast, happened relatively quickly. Fission in uranium was discovered in 1938, in Germany, and it was only four years later that the first nuclear “pile” was constructed in Chicago, in 1942.
Published in: IEEE Spectrum ( Volume: 59, Issue: 3, March 2022)
Keywords assist with retrieval of results and provide a means to discovering other relevant content. Learn more.
- IEEE Keywords
- Fission reactors ,
- Uranium ,
- NASA ,
- Hydrogen ,
- Heat engines ,
- Fusion reactors ,
- Helium
- Index Terms
- Confinement Fusion ,
- Lattice Confinement ,
- Isotope ,
- Electron Beam ,
- Solar Cells ,
- Decades Of Research ,
- Ion Beam ,
- Fuel Cell ,
- Nuclear Reactors ,
- Energy Intensity ,
- Chemical Elements ,
- Liquid Water ,
- Fusion Process ,
- Billions Of Dollars ,
- Cold Plasma ,
- Energy Extraction ,
- Nuclear Fuel ,
- Neutron Source ,
- Atomic Nuclei ,
- Thermoelectric Generators
Keywords assist with retrieval of results and provide a means to discovering other relevant content. Learn more.
- IEEE Keywords
- Fission reactors ,
- Uranium ,
- NASA ,
- Hydrogen ,
- Heat engines ,
- Fusion reactors ,
- Helium
- Index Terms
- Confinement Fusion ,
- Lattice Confinement ,
- Isotope ,
- Electron Beam ,
- Solar Cells ,
- Decades Of Research ,
- Ion Beam ,
- Fuel Cell ,
- Nuclear Reactors ,
- Energy Intensity ,
- Chemical Elements ,
- Liquid Water ,
- Fusion Process ,
- Billions Of Dollars ,
- Cold Plasma ,
- Energy Extraction ,
- Nuclear Fuel ,
- Neutron Source ,
- Atomic Nuclei ,
- Thermoelectric Generators