Answer:
Uses nuclear reactions to produce energy
Implodes a fuel pellet
Explanation:
Laser fusion is a method of initiating nuclear fusion reactions through heating, and compressing fuel pellets containing deuterium and tritium using high energy density laser beams. Lase fusion is also known as inertial confinement fusion and the energy produced by the process is known as Laser Inertial Fusion Energy, LIFE.
During the process of laser fusion, small pellets of deuterium-tritium (DT) isotopes mixture are fed into a blast chamber where they are compressed to high densities using a number of amplified laser beams in the chamber.
The high energy density of the beams as well as the heat produced due to compression, induces the thermonuclear explosion ignition resulting in the production of high energetic products such as charged particles, x-rays and neutrons. The energy produced is absorbed and stored as heat in a blanket that is then used in a steam thermal cycle to generate electrical power.
There are two methods of compression of the DT pellet: direct and indirect-drive laser fusions.
However, there are a number of limitations to energy production by this process. One limitation is that the process is extremely inefficient in energy energy production. Also, the heat produced by the flashtubes results innthe deformation of the laser glass.
