Page 231 - A Life - my Live - my path

Appendix

Helium is a noble gas. It is inert. It is practically impossible
to use in any chemical combination .
178
Today, we are able to fuse nuclei. To achieve this, it is
necessary to reach temperatures of several million degrees
under enormous pressure conditions.

These conditions are achieved and maintained in high-
vacuum chambers, with particles held in the centre by
intense magnetic fields.

One of the major challenges is to create a controlled chain
reaction under these conditions.

Realistic expectations point to 2040, or even 2050, as the
ultimate goal.

178 The helium atom has only two electrons, strongly bound to the nucleus by
electrostatic attraction. These electrons occupy very stable quantum states.
219