In laser fusion, scientists try to re-create the process that powers the sun and other stars by using laser beams to heat and compress a tiny target of hydrogen to such extreme pressures and temperatures that atoms fuse, releasing energy. Maintaining uniform temperature and pressure is critical. For several minutes before every laser shot, huge capacitors beneath the main laser bay store large amounts of electricity. Engineers check and ready diagnostic equipment around the target, along with the computers that are key to controlling the laser beam and analyzing each shot's results. About once per hour, an engineer commands a computer through a console in the control room above the laser bay, and the capacitors release their huge bank of energy, powering a laser beam that enters the laser bay from below.
Omega is actually two laser beams in one.
In less than a nanosecond, the beams converge on the target, burning off the outer shell of the sphere so rapidly and forcefully that the atoms inside the shell are pushed together and fuse. Scientists compare the process to the force a rocket produces when it takes off from earth. As its fuel tanks ignite, the rocket's exhaust pushes mightily against the earth. The high temperature and density make it possible for the atoms to fuse. As the atoms fuse, they give off energy in the form of neutrons, which can be used to generate electricity.