Hotspot Engine Program Nuclear fusion refers to the process of fusing light nuclei into heavy nuclei, releasing a huge amount of energy and is an ideal form of energy because it does not produce greenhouse gases and radioactive waste, nor does it produce the danger of nuclear leakage or nuclear **, and the raw materials required for nuclear fusion, such as deuterium and tritium, are widely found in places such as seawater and the moon, which can be said to be an endless source of energy. However, in order to achieve nuclear fusion, it is necessary to heat the nuclei to hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius, so that they can collide with each other despite the repulsion of electric charges, while maintaining the stability of the plasma and the balance of energy, which are extremely difficult technical problems and challenges that have not yet been commercialized.
In order to solve these problems and challenges, countries and regions around the world are actively promoting the research and development of nuclear fusion, using different methods and devices, such as magnetic confinement, inertial confinement, laser confinement, etc., hoping to achieve breakthroughs and utilization of nuclear fusion in the future. Among them, the most representative international cooperation project is the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which is under construction in France with the participation of seven members, including the United States, the European Union, China, India, Japan, South Korea and Russia, and is scheduled to start operating in 2025, with the goal of achieving nuclear fusion reactions with an energy gain greater than 10.
In addition to participating in the ITER project, Japanese companies are also seeking their own path to nuclear fusion. Recently, Japan's SoftBank Group and Itochu Corporation announced that they will jointly invest in BLF, a U.S.-based startup focused on laser-confinement nuclear fusion power generation, led by Nobel laureate Shuji Nakamura, which will use its unique laser technology to excite nuclear fusion in the form of pulses. It is reported that BLF's laser technology can generate extremely high power in a very short time, reaching hundreds of billions of watts, thereby triggering high-temperature and high-pressure nuclear fusion reactions in nuclear fusion materials, releasing a large amount of energy.
BLF aims to complete prototype manufacturing by 2025 and achieve stable power generation and commercialization by 2030. The company will work with Japan's Toshiba and Yuki to jointly develop and build fusion power plants, using their experience and technology in nuclear power plants and lasers. BLF expects its fusion power plants to be built at a lower cost than conventional nuclear fission power plants, without nuclear waste and contamination, and to provide a clean, safe, and sustainable energy source for the world.
The investment by SoftBank and ITOCHU Corporation demonstrates the high level of interest and expectation that Japanese companies are looking forward to in the field of nuclear fusion, as well as Japan's urgent need for energy security and environmental protection. Japan is a country with scarce energy resources, relying on imported fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal for a long time, and has also developed nuclear power as an important energy supplement. However, the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 dealt a heavy blow to Japan's nuclear power industry, causing most nuclear power plants to cease operations, affecting energy** and costs, as well as raising public concerns about nuclear safety and nuclear waste disposal. Therefore, Japan has been seeking cleaner, reliable, and economical alternatives to energy, and nuclear fusion, as an ideal form of energy, has naturally received Japan's attention and investment.
In addition to Japan, other countries and regions are also actively promoting the research and development of nuclear fusion, showing activity and competition in the field of nuclear fusion. For example, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States recently announced that it has achieved the first controlled nuclear fusion reaction with an energy output greater than the laser energy input, which has been called a historic breakthrough in this field. The European Union's European Union Ring (JET) is also breaking world records for nuclear fusion, recently achieving a fusion reaction of 59 megajoules in five seconds, setting a new energy gain record. China's artificial sun (HL-2M) is also improving its nuclear fusion capabilities, recently achieving 1The plasma temperature of 200 million degrees is an important step towards controlled nuclear fusion. India's superconducting tokamak (SST-1) is also actively involved in international nuclear fusion cooperation, providing key technology and equipment for the ITER project.
In conclusion, nuclear fusion is a form of energy with great potential and value, and it is also a challenging and competitive field of science and technology. The investment by Japan's SoftBank and Itochu Corporation is an important attempt by Japanese companies in the field of nuclear fusion, and it is also an important support for American nuclear fusion start-ups. In the future, with the continuous progress and improvement of nuclear fusion technology, we have reason to expect that nuclear fusion can provide a clean, safe and sustainable energy source for the world and contribute to the well-being and development of mankind.
References**:
: iter - the way to new energy : softbank, itochu invest in u.s. laser fusion startup led by nobel laureate - nikkei asia
: japan’s quest for nuclear fusion - the diplomat : nif achieves record laser energy in pursuit of fusion ignition - lawrence livermore national laboratory
: jet sets a new record for fusion power - eurofusion : china’s ‘artificial sun’ sets new world record with 120-million-degree plasma temperature - global times
: india’s sst-1: a crucial link in global quest for fusion energy - the hindu