美国宣布核聚变实验取得重大突破

This week, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy have reached a breakthrough in nuclear fusion.

本周，美国能源部的科学家们在核聚变方面取得了突破。

For the first time ever, in a lab setting, researchers say they generated more energy from a fusion reaction than they used to start the process.

有史以来第一次，在实验室环境中，研究人员表示，他们从聚变反应中产生的能量比以往开启这个过程产生的能量都多。

We're talking two or more atoms being fused together to form a larger one.

我们谈论的是两个或更多的原子发生聚变，形成一个更大的原子。

And if scientists figure this out, fine tune it, and harness this capability, we could potentially power our entire house from essentially, a glass of water, forever.

如果科学家们弄明白了聚变反应，对其进行微调，并利用这种能力，我们就有可能用一杯水为整个房子不断地供电。

This could help end dependence on fossil fuels.

这可能有助于结束对化石燃料的依赖。

Talk about a game changer in the future of clean energy.

让我们谈谈未来清洁能源的游戏变革者。

We'll go now to cnn National Correspondent, Rene Marsh, for more of the science behind the story.

我们现在连线cnn国家记者雷内·马什，了解更多报道背后的科学。

Well, scientists at a Department of Energy lab in California have figured out how to successfully produce a nuclear fusion reaction with a net energy gain.

嗯，加州能源部实验室的科学家们发现了如何成功地产生净能量增益的核聚变反应。

That means they've succeeded in taking two hydrogen atoms and using 192 powerful lasers to force those atoms to fuse together, unleashing the same kind of energy that powers the sun and stars.

这意味着他们已经能成功地获取两个氢原子，并使用192束强激光，迫使这些原子发生聚变，释放出与太阳和恒星相同的能量。

Until now, that has been incredibly difficult to replicate here on Earth.

到目前为止，要在地球上复制这个过程很困难。

The key is, though, that they've been able to release more energy from the reaction than they use in the fusion process itself.

但关键是，与在聚变过程中使用的能量相比，他们能够从聚变反应中释放更多的能量。

And that's critically important.

这是非常重要的。

For anything to be a viable source, it needs to have a higher energy output than the energy input used to generate the power.

任何东西要成为一种可行的能源，输出能量必须高于用于发电的输入能量。

So this is a huge moment, mostly because the discovery could eventually unlock an unlimited, cheap, clean power source for the world.

这是一个重大的时刻，主要是因为这一发现最终可能会为世界带来一种无限量的、便宜的、清洁的电能。

Now this discovery has also proved this is a viable energy source and no longer a hypothetical scenario.

现在，这一发现也证明了这是一种可行的能源，不再是一种假设情景。

But as major as this is in the quest to pivot away from dirty energy sources like fossil fuels, we're still a far away off from powering our homes by way of nuclear fusion.

但是，尽管在寻求摆脱化石燃料等非清洁能源方面取得了重大进展，但我们距离用核聚变为家庭供电还很遥远。

It's estimated it could take two, even three decades before this energy source is widely used.

据估计，这种能源可能需要二十年、甚至三十年才能得到广泛使用。