Schematic of the stages of inertial confinement fusion using lasers. The blue arrows represent radiation; orange is blowoff; purple is inwardly transported thermal energy. - 1. Laser beams or laser-produced X-rays rapidly heat the surface of the fusion target, forming a surrounding plasma envelope. - 2. Fuel is compressed by the rocket-like blowoff of the hot surface material. - 3. During the final part of the capsule implosion, the fuel core reaches 20 times the density of lead and ignites at 100,000,000 ?C - 4. Thermonuclear burn spreads rapidly through the compressed fuel, yielding many times the input energy.

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