Latest news with #NationalIgnitionFacility
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
Scientists Taught AI to Predict Nuclear Fusion Success—and It's Actually Working
AI is giving a huge efficiency boost to one of the biggest nuclear fusion facilities in the world—but perhaps not in the way you think. In research published today in Science, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory report how its newly developed deep learning model accurately predicted the results of a 2022 fusion experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The model, which assigned 74% probability for ignition in that experiment, outperforms traditional supercomputing methods by covering more parameters with greater precision. 'What we're excited about with this model is the ability to explicitly make choices for future experiments that maximize our probability of success each time,' study co-author Kelli Humbird told Gizmodo during a video call. Even a facility as large and well-established as the NIF can only 'do a couple dozen of these ignition attempts per year—so really not very many at all, given how much territory we have to cover,' added Humbird, who leads the Cognitive Simulation Group at NIF's Inertial Confinement Fusion Program. Currently, nuclear power plants run on nuclear fission, which captures the energy generated by the splitting of heavy atoms, like uranium. Researchers eventually want to shift toward nuclear fusion, a process that combines lightweight hydrogen atoms to release massive amounts of energy. Fusion produces more energy and doesn't create harmful, radioactive byproducts, so having fusion as a reliable source of energy would greatly benefit our society's transition to sustainable energy. Although the field has made some promising advances, the consensus is that we're still far from implementing nuclear fusion on a commercial scale. NIF's fusion experiments are laser-driven. First, the lasers heat up a gold cylinder called the hohlraum, which then emits a flow of powerful X-rays. The extreme temperatures compress the fuel pellets containing deuterium and tritium, two hydrogen isotopes used in fusion experiments. In an ideal scenario, this triggers enough deuterium-tritium fusion reactions to produce more energy than the lasers consume. Computer simulations can't reliably predict all the physics in this process, Humbird said. That's in part because the codes are often simplified so they're 'computationally tractable,' but the simulations themselves can also introduce some errors. Even if you've taken all sorts of precautions, it still takes days for the computers to finish running through the code, she added. Achieving nuclear fusion is like scaling a tall, uncharted mountain, Humbird said. The computer simulations are like an 'imperfect' map that's supposed to teach researchers how to reach the peak—but this map could be rife with errors that may or may not be the product of their research design. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, and researchers have to quickly decide whether they'll take the hike that day and which tools they're going to use. And of course, each 'hike,' or ignition attempt, burns a huge hole in the budget. And so, Humbird's team embarked on a mapmaking quest, stitching together 'previously collected NIF data, high-fidelity physics simulations, and subject matter expert knowledge' to build a comprehensive dataset. Then, they uploaded the data to state-of-the-art supercomputers, which ran a statistical analysis lasting over 30 million CPU hours. 'What we basically came up with was a distribution of things that go wrong [at] NIF,' Humbird explained. 'All of the different ways that we have observed implosions. Sometimes the laser doesn't fire exactly how you asked it to. Sometimes your target has defects in it that can cause things to not go super well.' The model allows researchers to preemptively determine the efficacy of their experimental design, saving them considerable time and money. Humbird used the model to assess their own design from a 2022 experiment, which accurately described the results of the specific run in advance. In particular, Humbird was pleased to see that subsequent tweaks to the model's physics increased the accuracy of its predictions from 50 to 70%. For Humbird, the strength of the new model is that it accepts and replicates the imperfections of the real world—whether that's a flaw in the instrument, research design, or just some silly trick of nature. At the same time, it's a reminder that, while quick progress is exciting, things often take a lot of time and will even result in outright failure. 'People have been working on fusion for decades… We shouldn't be so bummed about the times things don't work,' Humbird said. 'The fact that we sometimes get 1 megajoule of yield instead of two shouldn't upset us, because not too long ago we were only getting 10 kilojoules. It's a huge step forward for research, and hopefully a huge step forward for clean energy in the future.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Laser-powered fusion experiment more than doubles its power output
The world's only net-positive fusion experiment has been steadily ramping up the amount of power it produces, TechCrunch has learned. In recent attempts, the team at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Ignition Facility (NIF) increased the yield of the experiment, first to 5.2 megajoules and then again to 8.6 megajoules, according to a source with knowledge of the experiment. The new results are significant improvements over the historic experiment in 2022, which was the first controlled fusion reaction to generate more energy than the it consumed. The 2022 shot generated 3.15 megajoules, a small bump over the 2.05 megajoules that the lasers delivered to the BB-sized fuel pellet. None of the shots to date have been effective enough to feed electrons back into the grid, let alone to offset the energy required to power the entire facility — the facility wasn't designed to do that. The first net-positive shot, for example, required 300 megajoules to power the laser system alone. But they are continued proof that controlled nuclear fusion is more than hypothetical. The NIF uses what's known as inertial confinement to produce fusion reactions. At the facility, fusion fuel is coated in diamond and then encased in a small gold cylinder called a hohlraum. That tiny pellet is dropped into a spherical vacuum chamber 10 meters in diameter, where 192 powerful laser beams converge on the target. The cylinder is vaporized under the onslaught, emitting X-rays in the process that bombard the fuel pellet inside. The pellet's diamond coating receives so much energy that it turns into an expanding plasma, which compresses the deuterium-tritium fuel inside to the point where their nuclei fuse, releasing energy in the process. The other main approach to fusion, magnetic confinement, uses powerful superconducting magnets to compress and contain plasma in a space tight enough to create the conditions necessary for fusion. While no magnetic confinement experiments have produced net-positive results, several are being constructed or designed with the expectation that they'll hit that milestone. Several startups are pursuing inertial confinement, including Xcimer Energy and Focused Energy. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
TechCrunch
17-05-2025
- Science
- TechCrunch
Laser-powered fusion experiment more than doubles its power output
The world's only net-positive fusion experiment has been steadily ramping up the amount of power it produces, TechCrunch has learned. In recent attempts, the team at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Ignition Facility (NIF) increased the yield of the experiment, first to 5.2 megajoules and then again to 8.6 megajoules, according to a source with knowledge of the experiment. The new results are significant improvements over the historic experiment in 2022, which was the first controlled fusion reaction to generate more energy than the it consumed. The 2022 shot generated 3.15 megajoules, a small bump over the 2.05 megajoules that the lasers delivered to the BB-sized fuel pellet. None of the shots to date have been effective enough to feed electrons back into the grid, let alone to offset the energy required to power the entire facility — the facility wasn't designed to do that. The first net-positive shot, for example, required 300 megajoules to power the laser system alone. But they are continued proof that controlled nuclear fusion is more than hypothetical. The NIF uses what's known as inertial confinement to produce fusion reactions. At the facility, fusion fuel is coated in diamond and then encased in a small gold cylinder called a hohlraum. That tiny pellet is dropped into a spherical vacuum chamber 10 meters in diameter, where 192 powerful laser beams converge on the target. The cylinder is vaporized under the onslaught, emitting X-rays in the process that bombard the fuel pellet inside. The pellet's diamond coating receives so much energy that it turns into an expanding plasma, which compresses the deuterium-tritium fuel inside to the point where their nuclei fuse, releasing energy in the process. Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW The other main approach to fusion, magnetic confinement, uses powerful superconducting magnets to compress and contain plasma in a space tight enough to create the conditions necessary for fusion. While no magnetic confinement experiments have produced net-positive results, several are being constructed or designed with the expectation that they'll hit that milestone. Several startups are pursuing inertial confinement, including Xcimer Energy and Focused Energy.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's how Pacific Fusion plans to build a fusion power plant
Pacific Fusion made a splash in October when it emerged from stealth with a $900 million Series A and a founding team led by a scientist who is most widely known for his work on the Human Genome Project. Now, the startup is revealing the physics that underpin its plans to build a fusion reactor. 'We're publishing our detailed technical roadmap,' Will Regan, co-founder and president of Pacific Fusion, told TechCrunch. 'We lay out the details of the system that's going to let us get 100x the gain of what the [National Ignition Facility] can do at about one-tenth the cost.' The bet is a long term one: the company said that the first commercial reactor is about a decade away. Pacific Fusion follows a similar path to fusion power as the National Ignition Facility, the Department of Energy research program that was the first to demonstrate that a controlled fusion reaction could release more energy than was required to initiate the reaction. The approach is called inertial confinement, which means the fuel is squeezed to the point where atoms start fusing with one another, releasing tremendous amounts of power in the process. But where the NIF uses lasers to compress the fuel pellet, Pacific Fusion plans to send a massive pulse of electricity into a target, generating a magnetic field that'll cause it a shell encasing the fuel to compress in about 100 nanoseconds. Generating the electricity will be 156 impedance-matched Marx generators (IMG), or pulser modules, a power source invented by co-founder Keith LeChien and others. Together, the pulser modules produce 2 terawatts for 100 nanoseconds. 'That's about 4x the average power of the U.S. grid,' Regan said. Each pulser module contains repeating elements. There are 32 'stages,' which are essentially rings of metal surrounded by ten 'bricks.' Each brick consists of a switch and two capacitors, which are short-term energy storage devices. Ensuring that the electricity from each brick reaches the fuel pellet at the same time requires exact timing — a single capacitor will dump all its energy in only about 100 nanoseconds, Regan said. 'Our version of the Marx generator, the IMG, is something that is inherently fast pulse,' he said. 'That timing is consistent throughout the entire system because we synchronize it.' Once the bricks discharge, the electricity will travel down cables from each pulser module to the reaction chamber, which will be kept at vacuum. There, the surges will converge around the target, applying electromagnetic force that will squeeze it until fusion occurs. So far, Pacific Fusion is 'several months ahead of schedule,' Regan said, having developed the necessary simulation models and built completed prototypes of the bricks and stages. That allows the company to unlock the next portion of their $900 million funding round, which will go toward building a complete pulse module, or IMG. 'Once we do that, we basically carbon copy it 150 times to make a whole system,' he said. The funding round, while massive by Series A standards, isn't accessible all at once. It's built to pay out serially as the company hits certain milestones. Large rounds doled out in tranches are common in biotech, though not in other sectors. Credit for the startup's funding model, Regan said, goes to investors at General Catalyst, co-founder and CEO Eric Lander, and co-founder and COO Carrie von Muench, who were all familiar with its use in biotech. Pacific Fusion also recently hired Sachin Desai as general counsel, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. Desai had previously served in the same capacity at a competitor, Helion. Fusion doesn't have the same regulatory concerns as fission, and it received some added clarity with the passage of the Advance Act in July 2024, which lays out a regulatory framework for fusion that's different from fission. But since there are no commercial fusion reactors in existence, there are still many unanswered questions. 'It's just important that we're always in the room and we're part of the conversation as rules are made,' Regan said. 'It's going to be an ongoing process.'
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Fusion energy: Unlocking the power of the stars
If it looks like the set of some Hollywood sci-fi show, perhaps that's fitting, because what they are doing here is making stars on Earth. "We are able to make miniature stars, 'cause fusion is the same reaction that powers the Sun and stars," said Tammy Ma, who leads the Fusion Energy Initiative at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore, California. It's part of the same government laboratory that ensures the safety and reliability of the nation's nuclear stockpile. "Every time we do a fusion experiment on the NIF, we are actually the hottest place in the entire solar system, hotter than the center of the Sun," Ma said. The scientists here are using the largest laser ever built. It's 1,000 times more powerful than the entire U.S. electrical grid, and is housed in a massive room the size of a three football fields. Here, 192 laser beams travel nearly a mile, and then focus in on a tiny target, or fuel pellet, smaller than a peppercorn. When the lasers hit the pellet, the atoms "fuse" together, releasing energy in the process. That little fuel pellet is only about two millimeters in diameter. But the consequences could be huge. Fusion is a process that merges atoms together, and releases more energy than fission (which splits atoms apart). Fission is used by today's nuclear power plants and creates hazardous nuclear waste; fusion does not. Fusion would theoretically provide a nearly-limitless source of clean and safe energy, powering our world without the fossil fuels that are warming the planet and contributing to climate change. It would make energy-intensive technologies like vertical farming and water desalination much cheaper, potentially solving the world's food and water problems. Ma said, "It is completely clean. There's no carbon anywhere in the equation. There's no high-level nuclear waste. You can place fusion power plants nearly anywhere. It could help meet all of the energy needs for the U.S. now and into the future, even as our energy needs rise." But fusion is hard. After 60 years of research by scientists at NIF, they finally generated a reaction (also called "ignition") that produced more energy than it consumed. The breakthrough, in 2022, crucial to ever creating a fusion power plant, made headlines around the world. Humans had unlocked the power of the stars. Inside the nuclear fusion breakthrough that could be a step to unlimited clean energy in the distant future ("60 Minutes") They have achieved ignition several times since then, and now the race is on to generate enough energy to consistently power a commercial fusion plant. Bob Mumgaard is CEO and co-founder of Commonwealth Fusion Systems outside of Boston, one of more than two dozen fusion startups getting billions of dollars in funding from the government and investors. "It's gonna take time, it's gonna take work, but this is the birth of an industry," Mumgaard said. Instead of lasers, Commonwealth uses a cloud of super-heated plasma that burns at around 180 million degrees Fahrenheit, held in place by massive magnets that the company manufactures on site. "The magnets in this machine will be the strongest magnets in the world," Mumgaard said. "[They] could lift up an aircraft carrier." Commonwealth expects to complete its demonstration reactor next year. It just announced plans to build its first full-scale power plant in Virginia, but that won't deliver energy to the grid until sometime next decade. The demonstration reactor, Mumgaard said, "is the penultimate step to that." Critics point out that fusion power has been an ever-elusive holy grail, always 20 to 30 years away. But startups like Commonwealth say this time is different. The technology is advancing as fast as the need for clean energy is rising – stars aligning in the quest to create stars here on Earth. "This is not a paper exercise for us," Mumgaard said. "We're putting this machine together, we're buying the parts, we're machining the parts, and it's all coming together at the exact time the world really needs something like this. I think that's a really cool story." For more info: Fusion Energy Initiative, National Ignition Facility, Livermore, Fusion Systems, Devens, Mass. Story produced by Chris Spinder and John Goodwin. Editor: Emanuele Secci. See also: Big Tech's big bet on nuclear power to fuel artificial intelligence ("Sunday Morning")Apple CEO Tim Cook on creating a clean energy future ("Sunday Morning")Inside Scotland's hydroelectric marvel ("CBS This Morning: Saturday")"Engine Trouble": How greenhouse gases threaten our world ("Sunday Morning")Suing over climate change: Taking fossil fuel companies to court ("Sunday Morning")Batteries and the new "lithium gold-rush" ("Sunday Morning") Trump sends Iran a warning while ordering strikes against Houthis in Yemen Retail giants like Macy's, Walgreens face financial turmoil Senate passes short-term funding bill, averting a government shutdown
