The answer you are looking for lies within the stars. No, we are not referring to some deep and meaningful answer to your personal life. Rather, we are referring to the answer to Earth’s energy problems. A nuclear fusion breakthrough could flip the energy game after China’s mega-laser hits a new record. The process that powers the stars could soon be powering Earth.
China’s not-so-secret mega-laser facility
Something big is happening in the rocky terrains of southwestern China. The country has taken a giant leap forward in the energy sector and is presently building a mega-laser facility to focus on nuclear fusion research. Some have speculated that the mega-laser facility will be focusing on more than just research, but that’s for China to know.
The scale of the facility is what’s simultaneously intriguing and frightening. Located in Mianyang, its satellite photographs have revealed that it will be 50% bigger than the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California. Which begs the question: Is this facility’s scale a mirror of China’s great ambition and determination to be a leader in nuclear fusion technology, or is there some bigger underlying goal?
The breakdown of this mega-laser facility
China is renowned for its contributions to the global renewable energy sector, and its interest in nuclear fusion is not uncommon. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has great potential as a renewable energy source, as it can produce power with zero carbon emissions and does not result in long-lasting radioactive waste. For China, it would thus be the next obvious step.
According to Decker Eveleth, an analyst at US-based research organization the CNA Corporation, the mega-laser facility’s design includes four high-tech laser bays. Lasers will be shot from these bays to a central tower, where a high-tech experimental chamber is located. All of these are essential in fusing hydrogen isotopes. The laser energy fuses the hydrogen, resulting in an energy burst from a process called laser ignition. This process is nothing new, as Japan has used laser ignition to power an engine.
“If the facility is indeed a laser facility, it will offer a unique way of studying materials in extreme conditions. It allows scientists to create pressures that are typically found in the center of stars or in nuclear weapons.” – Brian Appelbe, Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies at Imperial College London research fellow
Nuclear fusion research or nuclear weaponry
China’s mega-laser facility has the world abuzz. The Mianyang facility has the potential for dual-purpose capabilities. Yes, it is more likely that the facility will merely focus on fusion research to enhance renewable energy solutions; however, one cannot rule out the likelihood of nuclear weaponry development. According to CCN Climate, both China and the US have agreed to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, banning the use of nuclear explosions by both parties.
Will a treaty be enough, though? According to William Alberque, a nuclear policy analyst at the Henry L. Stimson Centre, in a statement to Reuters:
“Any country with an NIF-type facility can and probably will be increasing their confidence and improving existing weapons designs.”
Others believe that the facility could focus on fusion and fission, which could be a red flag for the rest of the world, as that combined technology will be “likely more powerful than anything of that type in Western countries.” Only China truly knows what’s happening at that facility, and if they have proven one thing, it is that they can move from concept to completion in record time. Has China come too far with nuclear fusion? Only time will tell, but we truly hope for the best.