r/1. Our sun’s source of energy is nuclear fusion, so nuclear fusion is also the source of power for all
life on earth, including, 2, this rain forest in Fatu-Hiva. 3. The first release of energy by nuclear fusion through
human technology was the 1952 Ivy Mike test at the Enewetak Atoll. 4. This array of gamma-ray detectors is
called GAMMASPHERE. During operation, the array is closed up, and a beam of ions produced by a particle
accelerator strikes a target at its center, producing nuclear fusion reactions. The gamma rays can be studied for
information about the structure of the fused nuclei, which are typically varieties not found in nature. 5. Nuclear
fusion promises to be a clean, inexhaustible source of energy. However, the goal of commercially viable nuclear
fusion power has remained elusive, due to the engineering difficulties involved in magnetically containing a
plasma (ionized gas) at a sufficiently high temperature and density. This photo shows the experimental JET
reactor, with the device opened up on the left, and in action on the right.
nucleus that is too heavy to be stable can release energy by splitting
apart into pieces that are closer to the most stable size, light nuclei
can release energy if you stick them together to make bigger nuclei
that are closer to the most stable size. Fusing one nucleus with
another is called nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is what powers our
sun and other stars.
Section 8.2 The nucleus 515