Energy will become the major issue for international stability in the next century as the world's population grows and people move away from regions with inadequate energy supplies. Even conservative estimates of population growth indicate that major progress in energy conservation and renewable energies will not be enough to sustain humanity. Beyond the middle of the next century, new sources of energy that have a low impact on the environment and produce relatively harmless waste will be needed.
One such energy source is nuclear fusion, the process that powers the Sun. When light atoms bind together, or fuse, they release energy that can, in theory, be converted into electricity. Fusion can be carried out in the lab between two isotopes of hydrogen, namely deuterium and tritium, which fuse to create a 3.5 MeV helium nucleus and a 14.1 MeV neutron. It is the energy of the neutrons that would be converted into electricity.
In the December issue of Physics World magazine, Jean Jacquinot from the JET Joint Undertaking in Abingdon, UK writes about the future of fusion research.