Exploring alternatives to magnetic confinement. Laser fusion, linear devices and advanced fuels (Chinese Edition)

Laser fusion is a method of igniting nuclear fusion reactions and is a potential alternative to magnetic confinement (see article, page 6). It does this through inertial confinement, using high-power lasers to heat and compress tiny spherical capsules containing fuel pellets made up of hydrogen isotopes such as deuterium and tritium. The intense heating of the capsule surface creates a micro-implosion of the fuel, and, as a result, the pellet's surface layer is ablated and explodes. The inertia created by this process keeps the fuel confined for long enough for fusion reactions to take place.