Hot stuff: Lab hits milestone on long road to fusion power

By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

Scientists say they have been able to spark a fusion reaction that briefly sustained itself, a significant milestone on the long path to fusion power. Researchers at the U.S. National Ignition Facility reported Wednesday they used energy of 192 lasers to heat hydrogen to 100 million degrees and spark the reaction. The goal is to someday generate pollution-free power the way the sun generates heat. It’s an unwieldy process that happens at extremely high temperatures and pressures, and remains decades from reality. Still, researchers say they are on the verge of a second key step, generating more energy from fusion than what’s needed to spark the initial reaction.