Illustration of a capsule being compressed by lasers at the US National Ignition Facility NIF
A colossal laser system has created some of the most extreme conditions on Earth, bringing us one step closer to useful nuclear fusion power that would produce no hazardous waste. Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory鈥檚 National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California have been attempting to jump-start nuclear fusion in the laboratory for decades, and now they are closer than ever.
NIF works by focusing 192 of the world鈥檚 highest-energy lasers into a single powerful beam that shines on a small plastic…
