Fusion
Fusion reactions occur naturally in stars like our sun, where two hydrogen nucleiNuclei is the plural of nucleus. The nucleus is the central part of an atom. It contains protons and neutrons, and has most of the mass of the atom. fuse together under high temperatures and pressure to form a nucleus of helium.
Energy is released as electromagnetic radiationEnergy travelling as waves in the form of changing electrical and magnetic fields. such as light, infrared radiationElectromagnetic radiation emitted from a hot object. and ultraviolet radiationElectromagnetic radiation with a frequency between that of visible light and X-rays., which then travels through space.
There are a number of different nuclear fusion reactions happening in stars like our Sun.
For instance, when a nucleusThe central part of an atom. It contains protons and neutrons, and has most of the mass of the atom. The plural of nucleus is nuclei. of a hydrogen-2 atom (or deuterium) collides with a nucleus of a hydrogen-3 atom (or tritium) a nucleus of helium-4 is created and a neutronUncharged subatomic particle, with a mass of 1 relative to a proton. The relative charge of a neutron is 0. is released.
\(_{1}^{2}\textrm{H}+_{1}^{3}\textrm{H}\rightarrow_{2}^{4}\textrm{He}+_{0}^{1}\textrm{n}\)+ energy
Energy is released as electromagnetic radiation.
As with nuclear fission there are many political, social, environmental and ethical issues relating to using the energy released by nuclear fusion to generate electricity.