Deuterium–tritium fusion

A nuclear reaction in which deuterium and tritium nuclei fuse into helium-4 and a neutron, releasing 17.6 megaelectronvolts of energy.

Coulomb barrier: The electrostatic repulsion that positively charged nuclei must overcome to approach closely enough for fusion. Deuterium and tritium must approach within the range of the strong nuclear force despite this repulsion.
Magnetic confinement fusion: A fusion approach that uses magnetic fields to confine hot plasma away from material walls. Tokamaks and stellarators commonly plan to use this reaction as their principal power-producing fuel cycle.
Deuterium: A stable hydrogen isotope whose nucleus contains one proton and one neutron. It is the hydrogen isotope used as the lighter reactant in this fusion reaction.
Deuterium–deuterium fusion: Fusion reactions between two deuterium nuclei, producing several possible product pairs. Unlike this reaction, it does not require tritium, but is less reactive at practical plasma temperatures.
Nuclear cross section: A measure of the probability that a specified nuclear reaction occurs when particles collide. Its energy dependence helps explain why this reaction is favored in fusion plasmas.
Inertial confinement fusion: A fusion approach that compresses and heats small fuel capsules rapidly using lasers or particle beams. Experiments use capsules containing deuterium and tritium to trigger this reaction.
Tritium: A radioactive hydrogen isotope whose nucleus contains one proton and two neutrons. It is the heavier, scarce reactant needed alongside deuterium.
Deuterium–helium-3 fusion: A fusion reaction between deuterium and helium-3 that produces helium-4 and a proton. Its primary products are charged, unlike this reaction’s energetic neutron.
Fusion energy gain factor: The ratio of fusion power produced to external power supplied to a fusion system. It measures whether the reaction’s output can exceed the power needed to sustain its conditions.
Tritium breeding: The production of tritium from lithium through neutron-induced nuclear reactions. A power plant must replace scarce tritium fuel using neutrons from the fusion reaction.

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