How do deuterium and tritium release energy in nuclear fusion?
In nuclear fusion, energy is released when the total mass of the resulting particles is less than the mass of the initial reactants, a phenomenon known as the mass defect. This process is governed by Albert Einstein’s mass-energy equivalence equation, .12
The fusion of deuterium (D) and tritium (T) is a primary reaction for practical energy generation, expressed as:
D + T → He + n
In this reaction, the nuclei fuse to form helium and a neutron. Because the binding energy per nucleon increases when these isotopes fuse into helium, the reaction is exoergic, meaning it yields a net release of energy. Specifically, the D-T reaction releases approximately 17.58 MeV of energy. This reaction is highly efficient for power generation because it has a high reaction rate and a significant energy yield compared to other fusion processes.3124