What Is Fusion? | Exploring The Intricacies Of An Immensely Powerful Form Of Energy

Joining us today is Andrea “Annie” Lynn Kritcher, a nuclear engineer and physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Annie has been working in fusion for over 18 years, which eventually led to her developing Hybrid-E – a capsule that enables inertial confinement fusion.

Much of Annie’s postdoctoral research explored how to use X-rays to measure the properties of plasma, and how nuclei interact with it. In 2022, she was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society for her contributions to the creation of the first laboratory burning and igniting fusion plasma – a high honor for a member of her field…

In this episode, you will discover:

• What fusion is.
• How researchers are creating extremely hot conditions in laboratories to create fusion.
• How magnetic fields can be used to squeeze plasma down.
• What “inertial confinement” is.

Want to learn more about Annie and her work with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory? Click here now!

Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed