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NUCLEAR PHYSICS · INTERACTIVE LAB 72
Nuclear fusion
Explore how temperature, density, confinement and quantum tunnelling influence fusion in an idealised plasma.DeuteriumTritiumHeliumNeutron
Temperature12.0 units
Fusion events0
Close encounters0
Fuel remaining180
Energy released0 MeV
Triple product—
Energy balance
Particle-energy distribution
Overcoming repulsion
Positive nuclei repel through the Coulomb force. High temperature raises collision energy, while quantum tunnelling gives some close encounters a chance to fuse below the classical barrier.
Three requirements together
Fusion performance depends on density, temperature and energy-confinement time. Raising only one is not enough—the Lawson triple product summarises their combined effect.
Where the energy comes from
Light nuclei can combine into a more tightly bound nucleus. The mass difference appears as kinetic energy according to Q=(mᵢ−m𝒇)c²; energy is transformed, not created.
Model limitation: Collision probabilities are artificially accelerated, dimensionless teaching values rather than reaction cross-sections. The displays do not predict the performance of any real star, tokamak or inertial-fusion facility.