The Triple Challenge: Temperature, Density, Time

The Three-Way Problem

To achieve fusion, you need three conditions simultaneously:

1. Temperature: ~100-150 million Kelvin

• Atoms must move fast enough to overcome repulsion

2. Density: Enough particles colliding per second

• Need ~10²⁰ particles per cubic meter

3. Confinement Time: Hold plasma stable long enough

• Need >1 second for magnetic, nanoseconds for inertial

The Lawson Criterion: n × τ × T ≥ 3×10²¹

Miss any one condition = no fusion power. This is why fusion is so hard.