Construction of the world's main demonstration power plant that will use magnetic confinement is under way at Cadarache in France.

ECONOMIST: Nuclear fusion

Since the late 1950s, U.K. scientists have been attempting to achieve the fusion of hydrogen nuclei (tritum and deuterium) using magnetic confinement (MCF).

FORBES: U.K. And U.S. Join Forces on Laser-Fusion Energy

Lasers offer some obvious advantages over magnetic confinement.

ECONOMIST: Nuclear fusion

Laser fusion is the poor cousin of magnetic-confinement fusion.

ECONOMIST: Nuclear fusion