Nuclear fusion is a naturally occurring phenomenon where the atoms of an element physically merge to form a completely new element. A good example of natural nuclear fusion is the sun. According to the World Nuclear Association, “Fusion powers the Sun and stars as hydrogen atoms fuse together to form helium, and matter is converted into energy… Hydrogen, heated to very high temperatures change from a gas to a plasma in which the negatively-charged electrons are separated from the positively-charged atomic nuclei or ions.” (“Fusion”). Nuclear Fusion is a highly-coveted ability because the process of atoms fusing together yields energy as a byproduct (“Fusion”). It is for this reason that scientist have been experimenting with inducing nuclear fusion in effort to take advantage …show more content…
One of those disadvantages are nuclear weapons. After World War II had come to an end Hans Bethe worked on the development of the hydrogen bomb which got its destructive power from nuclear fusion (“Hans Bethe”). Two Atomic bombs, which are based on a process derived from nuclear fusion called nuclear fission, were used against japan in retaliation for the bombings of Pearl Harbor. These attacks had a wide range of devastating effects on the Japanese cities Nagasaki and Hiroshima from the destruction of homes and communities to the deaths of several Japanese civilians. In contrast, nuclear fusion also has some advantages like providing an ecofriendly fuel source through the use fusion reactors. Fusion reactors aim to exploit the energy produced by nuclear fusion in the form of heat. They then utilize this heat to operate steam powered generators that produce massive amounts of electricity. This creates a fuel source that produces no air pollution, less nuclear waste than other sources such as gasoline or fossil fuels, and is in great abundance. Fusion is also used in some of the rockets that spaceships used lift off the