Timeline of Nuclear Fusion

The timeline of nuclear fusion provides a chronological overview of key developments in the research and application of nuclear fusion. This is a complex and ongoing field of study that aims to replicate the processes that power the stars, including our own Sun.

Early 20th Century: Theoretical Foundations

1920: Arthur Eddington proposed that stars obtain their energy from nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium in his lecture, "The Internal Constitution of Stars."

Mid 20th Century: Experimental Beginnings

1939: Hans Bethe published papers outlining the nuclear processes that fuel the Sun, later earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967 for this work.
1952: The United States conducted the first test of a thermonuclear weapon, also known as a hydrogen bomb, which uses nuclear fusion to achieve a massive explosion.

Advancements in Fusion Power

1950s to 1960s: Development of the first tokamak in the Soviet Union marked a major step forward. A tokamak is a device using magnetic fields to confine plasma in the shape of a torus, aiming to sustain nuclear fusion reactions.
1968: Soviet scientists announced that they had achieved temperatures and confinement times for plasma, which were promising for fusion energy production.

Late 20th Century: Towards Fusion Energy

1970s: Inertial confinement fusion experiments began, using lasers to compress small pellets and achieve fusion conditions.
1980s: Major projects like the Joint European Torus (JET) were initiated, achieving record-setting plasma temperatures and fusion power output.
1989: The controversial announcement of cold fusion by Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann suggested fusion at room temperature, but this was later widely discredited.

21st Century: Global Collaboration and Commercial Efforts

2006: The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project was launched in collaboration among countries worldwide, aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale energy source.
2010s: Advances in high-temperature superconductors promised more efficient magnetic confinement for fusion reactors.
2020s: Many private companies have emerged with the goal of achieving commercial fusion power within the coming decades.

Key Concepts and Innovations

Fusion Ignition: The point where a fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining, which is crucial for continuous energy production.
Aneutronic Fusion: A form of fusion that produces little to no neutrons, thus reducing radioactive waste.
Nuclear Fusion–Fission Hybrid: A proposed mechanism that combines fusion and fission processes to utilize the advantages of both.

Timeline Of Nuclear Fusion