Nuclear Fusion, a Long Game

Unlike the current practice of

nuclear fission

Reaction that occurs when an unstable nucleus of a heavy atom splits into lighter nuclei — us...

Go to definition

,

nuclear fusion

Reaction in which two atoms join to form one heavier atom, releasing energy. This is what cre...

Go to definition

is when two or more light atomic nuclei collide and merge to form a heavier nucleus. A natural process in the Sun that is difficult to replicate on Earth. Since 2005, 35 countries have been working on the ITER project, but it will probably take 50 years, or even a century to get there...