Nuclear Fusion: ITER, Tokamak, and India's Role

Introduction

Nuclear fusion is the process in which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing enormous amounts of energy - the same process that powers the Sun and stars. Unlike nuclear fission (splitting atoms), fusion produces minimal radioactive waste, no greenhouse gases, and carries no risk of a runaway chain reaction. It represents the holy grail of clean, virtually limitless energy.

The Science of Nuclear Fusion

Fusion Reaction

The most promising reaction for terrestrial energy is: Deuterium + Tritium → Helium + Neutron + 17.6 MeV

• Deuterium: Abundantly available from seawater (1 in 5,000 hydrogen atoms).
• Tritium: Radioactive, must be bred from lithium in the reactor blanket.
• 17.6 MeV: Energy released per reaction (80% carried by neutron, 20% by helium nucleus).

Conditions for Fusion

Fusion requires extreme conditions:

• Temperature: ~150 million°C (10x hotter than the Sun's core) to overcome electrostatic repulsion.
• Plasma Density and Confinement: Particles must be held together at sufficient density for sustained reactions.

Magnetic Confinement: The Tokamak

What is a Tokamak?

A tokamak is a toroidal (donut-shaped) device that uses strong magnetic fields to confine superheated plasma. The term is a Russian...