Breaking Even in Plasma Physics

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Scientists are closing in on brake even, which is this point where they can get as much power out of a fusion reaction as they actually use to trigger it. There're a lot of technical and scientific challenges here that they still have to overcome. The more they zoom in on this, scientists keep finding more things that they need to learn about. And that's part of why the time line for fusion keeps getting longer.

Scientists are closer than ever to harnessing fusion power — the same process that powers the sun — by essentially making a small star here on Earth. Fusion could give humanity its best shot at solving the climate crisis, but the technology has yet to be perfected and would require billions more in investments. Is it worth the bet?

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