Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What particles are produced by a deuterium-tritium fusion reaction?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
nuclear fusion
Interior of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Ignition Facility (NIF), located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California. The NIF target chamber uses a high-energy laser to heat fusion fuel to temperatures sufficient for thermonuclear ignition. The facility is used for basic science, fusion energy research, and nuclear weapons testing.
The deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion reaction produces two primary particles:
- An alpha particle (the nucleus of a helium atom), which carries 3.5 MeV of energy.1
- A neutron, which carries 14.1 MeV of energy.1
Because the neutron lacks an electric charge, it is unaffected by magnetic or electric fields and can escape the plasma to deposit its energy into surrounding materials, such as a lithium blanket. The charged alpha particles remain within the plasma, where they collide with other nuclei to help sustain the reaction.1