Editing Fusor (section)

=== Basic fusion ===

[[File:Fusion rxnrate.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|The cross-sections of different fusion reactions]]

[[Nuclear fusion]] refers to reactions in which lighter [[atomic nucleus|nuclei]] are combined to become heavier nuclei. This process changes [[Mass–energy equivalence|mass into energy]] which in turn may be captured to provide [[fusion power]]. Many types of atoms can be fused. The easiest to fuse are [[deuterium]] and [[tritium]]. For fusion to occur the ions must be at a temperature of at least 4&nbsp;keV ([[kiloelectronvolt]]s), or about 45&nbsp;million [[kelvin]]s. The second easiest reaction is fusing [[deuterium]] with itself. Because this gas is cheaper, it is the fuel commonly used by amateurs. The ease of doing a fusion reaction is measured by its [[cross section (physics)|cross section]].<ref>John Lindl, "Development of the indirect drive approach to inertial confinement fusion and the target physics basis for ignition and gain", Physics of Plasma, 1995.</ref>