The Sun Powers All Life, But What Powers The Sun?
By Amrita Ghag
In history, the Sun is said to be one of the most impactful things. In the Ancient Egyptian Civilization, the Sun God Ra (Ra meaning Sun) was worshipped as the bearer of light and the creator of all life. In Hinduism, they worship Surya the Sun God who brings light and warmth to the world.
But what about Science?
The Sun is a star that our planet revolves around. It’s a super hot ball of Plasma that gets heated to Incandescence by Nuclear Fusion. It radiates an immense amount of heat and light that makes it possible for life on Earth to thrive. Plants, animals and humans alike all depend on the Sun. Without it, life would not exist. 😮
But if the Sun powers all life on Earth, what in the world powers the Sun?!
Like I mentioned before, Nuclear Fusion!
Glossary:
Before we get into the facts, let’s go over some terms that are important to this topic:
- Nucleus / Nuclei: In an atom, the Nucleus is the centre of the Atom, which is made up of two additional particles, Protons and Neutrons. (Not to get confused — the singular form of the word is Nucleus, whereas the plural form is Nuclei.)
- Atoms: Chemistry’s fundamental building block is the Atom. It’s the tiniest unit of matter that can be separated without releasing electrically charged particles. Everything in the universe is composed of matter (except energy), and therefore everything in the universe is formed of Atoms.
- Helium Nucleus: Is made up of two Protons and two Neutrons with strong interactions amongst each other.
- Neutron: A particle with no charge, and are required for the stability of an Atom (Neutrons can be employed in Nuclear Fission & Nuclear Fusion)
- Deuterium Atom: A substance of Hydrogen with its own Nucleus that consists of one Proton and one Neutron.
- Tritium Atom: A substance of Hydrogen with its own Nucleus that consists of one Proton and Two Neutrons, and is much heavier than a regular Nucleus.
- Hydrogen Atom: Consists of one Proton and one Electron (An Electron is a very very small particle of Electricity that travels around the Nucleus and to the Atom repetitively)
Throughout this article, you can always go back to reference these terms. Now….
Let’s start with the basics 😎
What is Nuclear Fusion?
Nuclear Fusion keeps every star in the universe, including the Sun, alive! To state it simply, it’s when two Hydrogen Atoms fuse to become Helium in order to produce energy.
As a matter of fact, Fusion can also include many other different elements from the Periodic Table, and one popular combination includes two elements :
- Deuterium
- Tritium
Together they are the DT Fusion Reaction!
The DT Fusion Reaction produces a Neutron and a Helium Nucleus, and also provides more energy than a regular Fusion Reaction.
Fusion occurs when the atoms are heated to an extremely high temperature (up to 100 million degrees 🌡️), and then they form Plasma. — Plasma is an extremely hot substance that makes up the Sun, and is also the main ingredient for Nuclear Fusion to occur. 🔥
To improve the odds of collision, the Nuclei must be confined within a compact space that the Sun provides. The enormous amounts of pressure and small spaces creates the ideal conditions for the Nuclei and Fusion process. They generate a tremendous quantity of heat and energy as a result of this activity, and we can use this energy to our advantage!
Nuclear Fusion is a process that occurs with limited Atoms like Hydrogen. With Fusion powering our Sun ☀️ and Stars 💫, Hydrogen Atoms are fused together and form Helium, which is then converted into energy.
Only Hydrogen Atoms are used in the Fusion process because of how hot the temperatures can get, and Hydrogen is the lightest element that can withstand those temperatures. — Cool, I know! 🕶️
Nuclear Fusion is the polar opposite of Nuclear Fission, in which heavy elements disperse and light elements are formed. However, Nuclear Fusion and Nuclear Fission both generate enormous amounts of energy. I know they sound the same but, I’m not talking about Nuclear FISSION, I’m talking about Nuclear FUSION.
But then if they both generate such large amounts of energy, why don’t we just use Nuclear Fission? 🤔
Nuclear Fusion vs Fission
So not to confuse them both, Nuclear Fission is a reaction that releases energy when an Atom is split into smaller ones while, Nuclear Fusion is a Nuclear reaction where two tiny Atoms fuse to make a big Atom.
The main difference between Nuclear Fusion and Fission is that Nuclear Fission requires way less energy than Nuclear Fusion does. This is because it takes much more energy to bring atoms together than splitting them apart.
This is also why Nuclear Fusion is much harder to achieve than Nuclear Fission. Also, Nuclear Fission is already applied in the real world — in power plants.
But, Nuclear Fission releases harmful Radioactive material ☢️, and Nuclear Fission isn’t unlimited, like Nuclear Fusion.
Think of it like going down a hill, much easier than going up a hill, right? It takes less energy and ultimately at the end of it you don’t feel nearly as exhausted! 💤
Well, this is the case with Nuclear Fission! Splitting an Atom is easier than bringing it together, because fusing an Atom requires extremely hot Plasma 🥵 (one of the hottest substances in the world!), while Nuclear Fission only requires a Neutron (something that is accessible to humans). The Neutron hits the Atom at a very fast speed, resulting in Nuclear Fission! ⚡
Simple! 😁
Nuclear Fusion In Real Life
Nuclear Fusion is such a strong method to generate energy, and a Fusion reactor would be so effective that it could someday replace all other types of energy on the planet!
This would eliminate the need for fossil fuel-based energy production which is EXACTLY what we need right now (I’m looking at you gas-powered cars 😤).
Fusion also offers an infinite source of fuel.
Just imagine a world where instead of our cars needing oil and petroleum to function, all you would need is Nuclear Fusion, an infinite source of fuel that provides no consequences — Crazy right ?!?! 🤠
In a nutshell, Nuclear Fusion is a:
- Powerful
- Abundant
- Inexpensive
- Environmentally Friendly
-Source of energy. There are countless ways that such an energy source may drastically alter the world for the greater good! We’re still in the experimental stages with Nuclear Fusion, but imagine what would be possible if we did achieve this energy on Earth! 🌍
The potential of Fusion power has compelled Scientists to give it their all for decades on end. Like in 2014, when a group of Scientists came closer to Fusion power than they had ever been before! 🤩
The Scientists generated more energy from Fusion Reactors than ever before, and this was just one small step to reaching our goal of Nuclear Fusion — Can you believe that?! 🤯
The problem is that the scientific and technical challenges ahead are still immense — in fact, we don’t even know what they are yet.
Despite this, countries, such as Canada, USA, China, Japan, Russia, and many more have invested billions of dollars in Fusion research due to the enormous potential payoff. 💸
We don’t have the capability to reproduce the Sun’s maximum impact, so researchers must generate Hydrogen Atoms much hotter than the Sun (which is really hot) to compensate.
So we might have to wait just a bit for this energy source, but at the rate that our technology is evolving, I’m sure that you’ll get to see Nuclear Fusion in action sometime in your lifetime!
Wait - Isn’t Nuclear Fusion a Violation of Physics?
No, Nuclear Fusion reactions surprisingly do not break any laws of physics! 😅 You may think they do though, because of how much Mass the Atoms lose when they fuse together, but this is not the case!
However it’s not as much Mass being lost as it seems, and the Atoms are still moving and releasing energy at the same time, so don’t stress, Fusion is a perfect example of Physics!
The rules of momentum and energy apply to Fusion, and these laws are perfectly followed in the Fusion process. This is because of how fast the Atoms are moving, and how much energy they are releasing at the same time. (When two atoms fuse, a small amount of mass is lost and released as energy.)
According to Einstein’s famous E = mc2 equation, which states that Mass can be converted into pure energy and vice versa, this is totally acceptable! ( If you were wondering — the E stands for energy in this case, the letter M stands for mass. C is the speed of light.)
Why is Nuclear Energy so Difficult to Achieve?
One of the main reasons Nuclear Fusion is so difficult to achieve is the fact that it involves working with Plasma 🔥, an extremely difficult task.
Plasma is so hot that imagine trying to contain it in anything, it would just burn right through it, right?
Plasma in Fusion reactions is used at Hundred of Millions of degrees so, unless you feel like using your hands, you won’t be able to handle Plasma.
Imagine trying to contain the Sun ☀️ in a container, this is exactly what is happening with Plasma! It’s way too hot to hold, but what if I told you that there might just be a way?
Physicists are attempting to use Electromagnetic based technologies to trap Plasma or deal with it so quickly (in less than a billionth of a second), that holding it is nearly impossible — but there’s still a very small chance that it is possible!
We also are still having difficulties creating devices to hold Plasma at a high enough temperature to confine it, but eventually to make more energy the Plasma will need to be even hotter — because the hotter the Plasma is the more energy we get. 🔋
It’s already difficult enough trying to hold it at this temperature, but at an even hotter temperature, whew that’s gotta be hard right? 😨
If we do end up creating an effective device to hold Plasma, the problem would be the cost of manufacturing.
But there’s no need to worry (although it seems like you have to), because we will get there eventually! With all of the technological advances that are being made with our Electromagnetic based technology, Nuclear Fusion will one day be our main source of energy.
How are we currently attempting to achieve Nuclear Fusion and what companies are working on it?
Hopefully I’ve persuaded you enough about how Nuclear Fusion will eventually become our main energy source, so now that we’ve got the basics, let’s see what companies are working on this amazing technology
There are many approaches that have been tested to try and make Nuclear Fusion possible for Earth. Here is one of the main ones that we should be watching out for:
- Magnetic Confinement: The main idea behind Magnetic Confinement is to use magnets 🧲 to hold Plasma in place while heating it with a combination of microwaves and radio waves. (This is the technology I was highlighting before). This is frequently done in a Fusion reactor, a donut-shaped generator (the weird shape helps keep the Plasma in place 😉)!
- Inertial Confinement : This method requires 192 lasers for it to work — Insane! The lasers are directed towards a small gold can, which vaporizes and emits x-rays. The x-rays then hit a small Hydrogen Atom ⚛️, and the x-rays heat and compress causing Plasma to form! Then, for a brief second, a tiny amount of the Plasma fuses into the Helium, emitting energy and Neutrons. This shows us that forming and containing Plasma can be and is possible!
However, recently, an international company has begun construction on the world’s largest fusion reactor using Magnetic Confinement!
This is the ITER Tokamak ::
ITER’s goal is to generate 500 million watts of power — enough to power a real Nuclear Fusion power plant — for a few seconds at a time of course.
We’re getting close! It’s incredible how far we’ve gotten to making Nuclear Fusion our main source of energy — I can’t stop thinking about how many car rides I’m gonna eventually get to go on and not feel guilty about them burning fossil fuels! 😃
So have I convinced you that we are ready for Nuclear Fusion as the new energy source? Once it arrives let’s welcome it with open arms, as it will revolutionize our world and maintain our environment all at the same time 🌎
I know I’m ready for it, are you? ;)
Key Takeaways :
- Nuclear Fusion is when two Atoms fuse to become one in order to produce energy. Fusion occurs when the Atoms are heated to an extremely high temperature (up to 100 million degrees!), and then they form Plasma.
- Nuclear Fusion keeps every star in the universe, including the sun, alive, and generates huge amounts of energy that we could possibly use.
- Nuclear Fusion is such a strong means of energy that has no consequences whatsoever! (There’s no environmental damage, it’s unlimited, and it’s very efficient)
- One of the main reasons Nuclear Fusion is so difficult to achieve is the fact that it involves working with Plasma, an extremely difficult and hot task.
- The company ITER has attempted at making a Fusion reactor to power a Nuclear Fusion based power plant, and has succeeded at doing so at just a couple seconds at a time — WOW ! 🤠
Final Note
Leave a comment on how far you think Nuclear Fusion will go, and if you think we’ll see it sometime in our lifetime. Make sure to follow me on Medium for any future articles!
Thank you so much for reading, stay awesome 😎
~ Amrita Ghag
