From the discussions I've had, and research I've read, fusion doesnt seem to be all that hard... (There are lots of different ways to ram ions together fast enough).
Doing it sustainably, without using hundreds of times more energy than it yields is the tricky part.
So, the interesting thing about this isn't that it is producing neutrons from a tabletop fusion device (been there, done that), but that it is using gas/plasma flow to stabilize the Z-pinch. This is a different approach than the simple Z-pinches used in Sherwood. I wish them luck.
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[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 15.2 ms ] threadDoing it sustainably, without using hundreds of times more energy than it yields is the tricky part.
Also, since this is HN, I should note that it appears that the group that is doing this research is raising series A funding (see: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/sites/default/files/03_SHUMLAK.pdf , last slide)