National Institute for Nuclear Physics
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NUCLEAR ENERGY AND NUCLEAR FUSION

Energy can be obtained from nuclear processes in basically two ways: separating a heavy nucleus (for example of uranium or plutonium) into two smaller nuclei, or joining light nuclei to create a larger nucleus. In the first case, we speak of nuclear fission, in the second of fusion. Both processes make it possible to produce large quantities of energy, thanks to the conversion of a small mass of reacting nuclei (or a single nucleus, in the case of fission) into energy, due to the well-known relativistic relationship E = mc2 and the principle of energy conservation.
Nuclear fission has been exploited for decades to produce energy in many countries throughout the world. However, while it has a low impact as far as concerns greenhouse gas emissions, it has the drawback of producing radioactive waste, whose disposal often constitutes a serious problem.

On the left, representation of the nuclear fusion process of a deuterium (2H) and a tritium (3H) nucleus. In the reactors that currently produce nuclear energy the "reverse" process takes place, the one called "nuclear fission" (on the right in the figure). (© INFN)
The ITER Tokamak will be the largest device of its kind in the world, with a plasma volume of 840 m³. (© US ITER)

Nuclear fusion is the process behind the operation of the stars and has, for many years, been the subject of theoretical and experimental studies to exploit its enormous potential in reactors for producing energy. There are basically two main advantages to using nuclear fusion reactors: once operating, they could enable the production of enormous quantities of energy (well above the capacities of fission reactors) and would produce much less radioactive waste than that of fission. However, the technological challenges to be overcome to build a nuclear fusion reactor are enormous. In recent years, investments and research projects globally have grown, with the foundation of important international experiments. One of the main ones is ITER in France that aims to build, in upcoming years, a fusion reactor demonstrator. INFN is not directly involved in the ITER projects; however, it is engaged in research and technological development activities supporting fusion.

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