Fusion Energy Will Help Treat Cancer
Deep inside stars, light nuclei fuse, giving birth to helium and streams of neutrons. On Earth, we recreate this process by combining deuterium and tritium — special isotopes of hydrogen.
Neutrons for Sale
Every time deuterium and tritium fuse in a fusion reactor, a fast neutron flies out. It can turn one substance into another — for example, create valuable isotopes for medicine.
Today such neutrons cost a fortune, because there are few experimental facilities and they rarely operate.
Atomic Batteries from a Fusion Reactor
Atomic batteries powered by plutonium decay have been running pacemakers and space probes for over sixty years. But the raw material is scarce: worldwide, only a few kilograms of plutonium-238 are produced each year, barely enough for the most critical missions.