Nuclear fusion occurs when two atomic nuclei are attracted to one another by the strong nuclear force and form a single nucleus, releasing energy. Fusion is the energy source of the Sun (1) and other stars. If sustained, controlled fusion could be produced on Earth, it might be harnessed to generate electricity.
When nucleons (protons and neutrons) form a nucleus they lose energy, and the mass of a nucleus is less than the sum of the nucleon masses. The difference is the mass defect of the nucleus. Separating a nucleus into individual nucleons would need an input of energy — the nuclear binding energy. The binding energy, ∆E, of a nucleus is related to its mass defect, ∆m: where c is the speed of light (3.00 × 10 8ms −1).
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