Nuclear fusion is a process during which light atoms fuse to form heavier ones.
Nuclear fusion is a process during which light atoms fuse to form heavier ones. During the fusion of elements with low atomic numbers substantial amounts of energy are released. In 1939 Hans A. Bethe of Germany was the first to theorize about nuclear fusion. Bethe suggested that much of the energy output of the Sun and other stars results from reactions in which four hydrogen nuclei unite, form one helium nucleus while releasing a large amount of energy. Later research proved that fusion reactions can indeed occur only at many millions of degrees Kelvin when the electrostatic forces of repulsion that result from the presence of positive electric charges in both nuclei can be overcome so that the nuclear forces of attraction can perform a fusion.