A magnetic coil covering a cylinder triples it's energy output in a nuclear fusion test
A team of researchers working at the National Ignition Facility, found that covering a cylinder containing a small amount of hydrogen fuel with a magnetic coil
it was firing lasers at it triples its energy output, another step toward the development of nuclear fusion
The team, which has members from several U.S. and U.K. research facilities, has published their paper in the journal Physical Review Letters
Last year, a team working at the same facility announced that they were closer to achieving a nuclear fusion test than anyone else
They were unable to repeat their results. The team has been looking at ways to improve their original design
The original design involved firing 192 laser beams at a cylinder containing a small sphere of hydrogen
This created X-rays that heated the sphere. Changes to the size of the holes through which the lasers pass have led to minor changes.
The team studied prior research and found that encasing a cylinder in a magnetic field would increase the energy output.
The researchers had to modify the cylinder to fit the suggestion. Placing it in a strong magnetic field would create an electric current strong enough to tear the cylinder apart, so they made a new one
They fired the lasers. The hot spot on the sphere went up 40% and the energy output tripled. A fusion reactor that can produce more energy than is put into it is the ultimate goal.