On: Nuclear physicist explains why fusion ignition is hailed as a major breakthrough

[nottorp]

No one's commenting on the self sustaining part. Would it have kept going without external energy input if they had more fuel?

I don't think the 1% system wide would matter if it just went on after the first few seconds.

[sandworm101 → nottorp]

No. This was inertial confinement fusion, like in a bomb. The reaction could not have continued under any circumstance. The only hope would be to run this test repeatedly, like ten times a second, and somehow pull put power. But this machine has no hope of even attempting that.

[rurban → nottorp]

They are not talking about a few seconds, they are talking about a few nanoseconds. Which is NOT stable at all.

A few seconds would be a major breakthrough indeed.