What if we could recreate the process that powers the Sun — right here on Earth? In the Curiosity Original series Breakthrough, scientists explore one of the most ambitious goals in modern physics: nuclear fusion. Fusion powers the stars, where enormous temperatures and pressures force atomic nuclei together, releasing tremendous amounts of energy. Recreating those conditions on Earth is an extraordinary engineering challenge. Using powerful lasers, scientists compress tiny capsules containing deuterium and tritium, heavier isotopes of hydrogen. The fuel must reach temperatures of more than 100 million degrees, creating a superheated plasma where nuclei can fuse. The entire fusion burn can happen in just tens of trillionths of a second, meaning the target, lasers, timing, and diagnostic instruments all have to work with incredible precision. The ultimate goal is much bigger than a laboratory experiment. Scientists are investigating whether fusion could one day provide a powerful so...