Diamond under extreme pressure hints at 3x fusion energy gain
Researchers at LLNL found that diamond melts under extreme pressures (up to 1 TPa) and temperatures around 7,300 K via shock compression, resolving decades-long discrepancies between experiments and simulations; the findings, which indicate a shock-induced melting pathway and persistence of diamond structure, could triple energy gain in laser-driven inertial confinement fusion and inform models of planetary interiors.