Rami Arieli: "The L aser Adventure" Chapter 9.5.2 page1

9.5.2 Inertial Fusion by laser

Equivalence between mass (m) and energy (E):

Mass and energy are related by the mathematical formula:

E = mc²

This well-known formula was discovered by Albert Einstein in 1905, and he explained the equivalence between mass and energy using this relation.

Every reaction, which results in products with total mass less than the original mass, releases energy. The amount of energy released is equal to the mass difference times the square of the velocity of light.

The amount of energy per unit mass, which is released by the nuclear fusion reaction, is millions times higher than the chemical energy released by burning coal or oil.

The first artificial use of fusion energy was in the Hydrogen bomb (October 1952). Since then, scientists are trying to control the nuclear fusion reaction; in order to make controlled use of the energy released.