Interior of the Joint European Torus (JET) tokamak, the largest magnetic confinement fusion device in the world.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of JET

Fusion Experiments

Nuclear fusion has been achieved in a controlled manner (that means no bombs are involved!!).

Right now, these fusion experiments take in more energy than they produce. So they can't be used right now to produce energy.

People started experimenting with fusion in the 1960's. It's come a long way since then! Hopefully nuclear fusion can be used as an energy source in the future (instead of oil or coal). Nuclear fusion will be safe for the environment because it won't pollute our air or make more waste to put in our landfills.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Binding Energy

A plot of the binding energy per nucleon vs. atomic mass shows a peak atomic number 56 (Iron). Elements with atomic mass less then 56 release energy if formed as a result of a fusion reaction. Above this...more

Fusion Experiments

Nuclear fusion has been achieved in a controlled manner (that means no bombs are involved!!). Right now, these fusion experiments take in more energy than they produce. So they can't be used right now...more

The Hydrogen Bomb

In the Hydrogen bomb, an explosion takes place so that the temperature and density is right for fusion to occur. This fusion results in a sudden release of energy that produces an even bigger explosion....more

Creating Elements up to Iron

When the temperature in the core of a star is really hot (100 million degrees Kelvin!) fusion of Helium into Carbon happens. Oxygen is also formed when the temperature is this high. When it gets even hotter...more

The Big Bang

All of the matter and energy in the Universe was initially found in a very small space. An explosion happened which caused the Universe to begin expanding. ...more

Neutrinos

The neutrino is an extremely light particle. (You definitely couldn't weigh one on your bathroom scale!) It also has no electric charge. Fusion reactions in the Sun produce neutrinos. By detecting these...more

The Solar Neutrino Problem

By knowing about fusion inside the Sun, scientists can predict the number of neutrinos that should reach Earth. Experiments on Earth have been set up to detect neutrinos in order to test these predictions....more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA