The Commission of Experts on Nuclear Fusion presents its final report with the participation of Prof. Gerd Leuchs
Our society's energy needs continue to increase. Not least due to the introduction of new technical applications such as artificial intelligence, the question of new technologies for energy supply is becoming one of the most pressing of our time. There is great hope in nuclear fusion as a clean future technology for energy generation. Prof. Gerd Leuchs, founding director of the MPL and expert in laser physics and the limits of the concentration of laser light – who was appointed to the expert commission on nuclear fusion by the Bavarian government – discussed whether fusion power plants could be the solution to our energy problems. Their recommendation "Mission Nuclear Fusion" was presented in February.
Nuclear fusion is the process that takes place inside the sun and provides it with its energy. It is a decades-old dream to harness this enormous amount of energy on earth and use it to generate electricity. Researchers are trying to recreate this process, which takes place in the sun. Two light atomic nuclei fuse together; for example, two hydrogen atoms combine to form helium, releasing energy in the process. Unlike nuclear fission, nuclear fusion produces hardly any long-lived radioisotopes and is therefore seen as a beacon of hope for environmentally friendly energy supply.
The temperature and pressure conditions in the sun's core are extremely high, which is why hydrogen is completely ionized as so-called plasma. These conditions are necessary for fusion. On Earth, however, no spatial enclosure for the gas fuel would withstand this and would melt instead. The demands on technological systems for generating energy are therefore particularly high.
Two different approaches are now being pursued in the core: magnetic fusion, in which magnetic confinement is achieved by external magnetic fields, and inertial fusion, also known as inertial confinement. In the latter case, a high-power laser light is focused on a globule of matter, which then partly explodes and partly implodes. The implosion briefly creates a high density and temperature. "Worldwide research into magnetic confinement has progressed further, but there have also been encouraging results in inertial confinement recently," says Prof. Gerd Leuchs. This development has led to the establishment of a number of start-up companies in both areas. The expert commission has made recommendations on how training, research and development can best be coordinated – of course with a focus on Bavaria, but also with a view to the national and European dimension. An important aspect of this is to maintain the importance and know-how of extreme physics from atomic nuclei to astrophysics – both with regard to basic research and applications. Further information can be found on the website of the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy under ‘Research and Development.’
Gerd Leuchs experienced the beginnings of the activities to research inertial confinement firsthand, first in the project group for laser research and finally in the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (MPQ), which was founded in 1981. An exciting time, says Leuchs: "Magnetic confinement has required many years of research because the plasma currents also generate their own magnetic fields, which initially repeatedly led to instabilities. This problem has now been mastered, and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Garching and Greifswald has done much pioneering work, which is why experts around the world are looking to Germany and Bavaria in particular. Due to recent advances, both technologies – magnetic field and inertial confinement – are promising and should be pursued further. However, a whole range of research and development is needed that affect both equally. I am excited!"
Click here for the expert recommendation (German)
