WHAT – Process by which hydrogen atoms combine to produce helium inside the Sun, and release immense energy in light and radiation.

HOW IT WORKS

IN NEWS – TOKMAKS

WHAT – Fabricated  fusion reactors

Conceptualised by Soviet physicists Igor Tamm and Andrei Sakharov.

What was the theory – If one can create a magnetic field in the shape of a torus then the scorching plasma could be contained.

The scalding of the walls of the container from the intense heat of plasma could be prevented.

Unlike fission reactors, fusion reactors like the tokamaks do not pose the dangers of a radioactive leak. Gram for gram, the thermonuclear power produces four million times more energy than burning coal.

The only waste product is harmless helium.

Harnessing energy from thermonuclear fusion today is a global collaborative effort. Thirty-five countries, including India, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, European Union, are collaborating to jointly build the largest Tokamak as part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).