Nuclear Fusion Course

With this free course of 8 video lessons you will learn about the most important concepts of Nuclear Fusion

In nuclear physics, nuclear fusion is the process by which several atomic nuclei of similar charge join together and form a heavier nucleus.12 Simultaneously an enormous amount of energy is released or absorbed, which allows matter to enter a plasma state.

The fusion of two nuclei of lower mass than iron (in this element and in nickel occurs the highest nuclear bond energy per nucleon) releases energy in general. In contrast, fusion of nuclei heavier than iron absorbs energy. In the reverse process, nuclear fission, these phenomena happen in opposite directions. In the simplest case of fusion, in hydrogen, two protons must get close enough so that the strong nuclear interaction can overcome their mutual electrical repulsion and obtain the subsequent release of energy. In nature, nuclear fusion occurs in stars, including the Sun. Inside the temperatures are close to 15 million kelvin. Fusion reactions are therefore called thermonuclear. In several companies, the (artificial) merger has also been achieved, although it has not yet been fully controlled.

On the basis of Ernest Rutherford's nuclear transmutation experiments, conducted a few years earlier, Mark Oliphant, in 1932, first observed the fusion of light nuclei (hydrogen isotopes). Later, for the rest of that decade, Hans Bethe studied the stages of the main cycle of nuclear fusion in stars. Research into fusion for military purposes began in the 1940s as part of the Manhattan Project, but was not successful until 1952. The investigation into civilian-controlled mergers began in the 1950s and continues to this day.