Nuclear Fusion: Principles, History, and Applications

Nuclear fusion definition

Nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nucleus. The difference in nuclear binding energy between the reactants and products appears as released or absorbed energy. Fusion of light nuclei, especially hydrogen isotopes such as deuterium and tritium, generally releases energy because the resulting nucleus is more tightly bound. Fusion requires nuclei to overcome their electrostatic repulsion, typically through extremely high temperatures and suitable density and confinement time. It powers stars, where hydrogen nuclei fuse into helium, and is being studied for energy production using approaches such as magnetic confinement in tokamaks and stellarators and inertial confinement with lasers.

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Mass-energy equivalence and binding energy

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