Laser fusion
Laser fusion, also called inertial confinement fusion, is the most frequent fusion reaction on Earth. It is commonly used for experiments relevant to hydrogen bombs. Is relatively simple and cheap in comparison to tokamaks but didnt allow continuous fusion and can be ignited discontinuously only.
Basic principle
In laser fusion there is hydrogen fuel consisted of deuterium and tritium enclosed in golden tube under high pressure and low temperatures (ones of Kelvin). To initiate fuse ultraviolet laser is pointed at the tube.
Tube starts to produce large amount of x-rays that quickly heats stored hydrogen, mainly outer layers.
Those explode and press inner layers enough to ignite nuclear fusion.
It is almost the same as fusion in hydrogen bomb where fission bomb ignites fusion of small amount of hydrogen.
Laser fusion laboratories
Thanks to similarity to hydrogen bomb explosion, is laser fusion in centre of focus of military science, especially when nuclear test are prohibited by international agreements. Only 15 % of experiments are reserved to energetic research, the rest is military. Scientists study conditions of explosions to make better numerical models of destroying power of hydrogen bombs. There are two big laboratories in the world. One in USA calls National Ignition Facility Project (NIF) and the other in France calls Laser Mégajoule (LMJ). We have no choice but to hope that new more efficient methods to initiate fusion via laser, will be used rather in energetics than in military.