The US Department of Energy has announced an accomplishment in nuclear fusion that will go down in history - marking a decades-long quest to harness the same energy that powers the sun and stars.Scientists achieved the holy grail of 'net energy gain' by producing more energy in fusion than was used to activate it.They made the breakthrough on December 5, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California, which houses a sports stadium-sized lab equipped with 192 lasers. The experiment saw the high-energy lasers converge on a target about the size of a peppercorn, heating a capsule of hydrogen to more than 180 million degrees Fahrenheit and 'briefly simulating the conditions of the sun,' said the facility's director, Dr Kim Budil. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called the breakthrough a 'landmark achievement.' Granholm said scientists at Livermore and other national labs are working on research to help the US 'solve humanity's most complex and pressing problems, like providing clean power to combat climate change and maintaining a nuclear deterrent without nuclear testing.' RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Is THIS the key to 'limitless' clean energy? Start-up... 'A remarkable point in human history': Experts say nuclear... Share this article Share Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one, while releasing massive amounts of energy.In the case of Earth's sun and the stars in space, nuclei need to collide with each other at extremely high temperatures, more than ten million degrees Fahrenheit.The high temperature gives the nuclei enough energy to overcome their mutual electrical repulsion. Once the nuclei come within a very close range of each other, the attractive nuclear force between them will outweigh the electrical repulsion and allow them to fuse. For this to happen, the nuclei must be confined within a small space to increase the chances of collision.  For the first time, scientists have produced more energy in fusion than was used to activate it Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (center) called the breakthrough a 'landmark achievement.' She was joined by scientists who conducted the groundbreaking experimentThe extreme pressure produced by its immense gravity creates the conditions for fusion in the sun. kodin sisustustyylit kindly visit the page.