Editing Fusion power (section)

=== Inertial confinement ===
{{Main|Inertial confinement fusion}}
[[File:NIF output over 11 years without legend.png|upright=1.7|thumb|alt=Plot of NIF results from 2012 to 2022|Plot of NIF results from 2012 to 2022]]

* Indirect drive: Lasers heat a structure known as a [[Hohlraum]] that becomes so hot it begins to radiate [[x-ray]] light. These x-rays heat a fuel pellet, causing it to collapse inward to compress the fuel. The largest system using this method is the [[National Ignition Facility]], followed closely by [[Laser Mégajoule]].<ref name="Nuckolls, John 1972">{{cite journal | last1 = Nuckolls | first1 = John | last2 = Wood | first2 = Lowell | last3 = Thiessen | first3 = Albert | last4 = Zimmerman | first4 = George | s2cid = 45684425 | year = 1972 | title = Laser Compression of Matter to Super-High Densities: Thermonuclear (CTR) Applications | journal = Nature | volume = 239 | issue = 5368| pages = 139–142 | doi = 10.1038/239139a0 |bibcode = 1972Natur.239..139N }}</ref>
* Direct drive: Lasers directly heat the fuel pellet. Notable direct drive experiments have been conducted at the [[Laboratory for Laser Energetics]] (LLE) and the [[GEKKO XII]] facilities. Good implosions require fuel pellets with close to a perfect shape in order to generate a symmetrical inward [[shock wave]] that produces the high-density plasma.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}
* Fast ignition: This method uses two laser blasts. The first blast compresses the fusion fuel, while the second ignites it. {{as of|2019}} this technique had lost favor for energy production.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Turrell|first=Arthur |title=How to Build a Star: the science of nuclear fusion and the quest to harness its power|date=2021|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |isbn=978-1474611596|location=Place of publication not identified|language=en|oclc=1048447399}}</ref>
* [[Magneto-inertial fusion]] or [[Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion]]: This combines a laser pulse with a magnetic pinch. The pinch community refers to it as magnetized liner inertial fusion while the ICF community refers to it as magneto-inertial fusion.<ref name="IFSA2007">{{cite journal |last=Thio |first=Y. C. F. |date=April 1, 2008 |title=Status of the US program in magneto-inertial fusion |journal=Journal of Physics: Conference Series |publisher=IOP Publishing |volume=112 |issue=4 |page=042084 |bibcode=2008JPhCS.112d2084T |doi=10.1088/1742-6596/112/4/042084 |issn=1742-6596 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
* Ion Beams: Ion beams replace laser beams to heat the fuel.<ref>{{cite conference |last1=Sharp |first1=W. M. |last2=Friedman |first2=A. |display-authors=1 |year=2011 |title=Inertial Fusion Driven by Intense Heavy-Ion Beams |url=https://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/PAC2011/papers/weoas1.pdf |conference=Proceedings of 2011 Particle Accelerator Conference |location=New York, New York, USA |page=1386 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126054145/http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/PAC2011/papers/weoas1.pdf |archive-date=November 26, 2017 |access-date=August 3, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The main difference is that the beam has momentum due to mass, whereas lasers do not. As of 2019 it appears unlikely that ion beams can be sufficiently focused spatially and in time.
* [[Z Pulsed Power Facility|Z-machine]]: Sends an electric current through thin tungsten wires, heating them sufficiently to generate x-rays. Like the indirect drive approach, these x-rays then compress a fuel capsule.