Chapter 1
Bottling up a star
Chapter 2
The global league of tokamaks
Chapter 3
Lasers and twists: Alternative paths
Chapter 4
Powering tomorrow's grid
YOUR GOAL
Master of Catching a star in a bottle
Ch 3 · Lasers and twists: Alternative paths
007skaty The stellarator fusion reactor offers a highly stable alternative to tokamaks.
007skaty Alternative Fusion Paths
With twisted coils, and laser beams, we trap the sun.
007skaty Scientists at the National Ignition Facility spark a historic energy breakthrough.
007skaty Bright screen prints repeat the glowing moment of fusion ignition inside the NIF.
Fun Fact
Tiny target: The fuel pellet used in the historic 2022 US laser fusion experiment was only about the size of a peppercorn.
Glossary
stellarator (noun)
A toroidal device used to confine hot plasma with magnetic fields to sustain controlled nuclear fusion. Germany's Wendelstein 7-X, the world's largest stellarator, successfully produced its first helium plasma in December 2015.
A toroidal device used to confine hot plasma with magnetic fields to sustain controlled nuclear fusion. Germany's Wendelstein 7-X, the world's largest stellarator, successfully produced its first helium plasma in December 2015.
Quiz
How many laser beams does the National Ignition Facility use to compress its fuel?
Quiz
What major milestone did the US National Ignition Facility achieve in December 2022?