A new technique to monitor a process called 'fast ignition' has been developed, in what could be a critical step towards a viable method of creating controlled nuclear fusion. The new monitoring technique finally provides a way of identifying exactly where energy from the laser travels when it hits the fuel. To do this, copper tracers are added to the fuel capsule. When the high-intensity laser is directed at the target, it generates high-energy electrons that hit the tracers and in turn cause them to emit X-rays. These can be imaged to show where the energy from the laser is going once it's hit the target fuel cell. http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-01/18/nuclear-fusion-energy-monitoring
That is great progress, and I hope they hurry up, lol. We need to fast-track the nuclear fusion efforts.
http://www.universetoday.com/127398/chinese-fusion-test-hits-new-high/ Here is another potential milestone to fusion reactor: http://www.universetoday.com/127398/chinese-fusion-test-hits-new-high/ One step at a time, I guess.