BBC News recently covered some advancements at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), in Livermore, California. For the first time a fusion reaction was observed that produced more energy than it used, this total gain in energy makes the reaction a form of "cold fusion".
192 laser beams were used to heat and compress a hydrogen pellet until nuclear fusion, the joining of two atoms to form one, occurred.
Hydrogen fusion is the same process which powers the sun, and has been a desired source of energy for some time, but to date the fusion reactions have been inefficient, costing more energy than they produce. This prevents the reaction from being useful as an energy source.
