Nuclear fusion breakthrough?

[Sardaukar]

Well, if that experiment is confirmed and true...it validates theory.

Practical applications might be very far.

[Ssnake]

The theory was validated long ago. We've had controlled hydrogen fusion since 1991 with JET; even with Lawrence Livermore's inertial/laser-on-pellet approach 2021 marks the date where actual fusion occurred. It's just that it requires more energy than it delivered, so far.

[Yama]

AIUI, this was a breakthrough for laser ignition fusion, as there had been some doubts if it could even achieve breakeven under practical conditions. However, the method has extreme engineering challenges ahead to become a viable energy source (and they may be insurmountable) so it is not a huge "breakthrough" towards fusion power in that sense.