Fusion reactor

The deuterium fusion reactor is a type of a nuclear fusion reactor used as a power source on United Nations Space Command warships. Warships are typically equipped with one primary reactor and at least two secondary reactors.

Description
Based on the name, a deuterium fusion reactor probably combines nuclei from deuterium, a light hydrogen isotope, into heavier elements, accompanied by a net gain of energy. Deuterium may be fused with itself, or with tritium, another hydrogen isotope. This latter reaction is the easiest to initiate.

Since they have not been seen on screen, it is not possible to meaningfully speculate on the technique a deuterium core uses to induce fusion. However, a UNSC warship is powered by just two of these devices, so it could be deduced that they are not easily portable. Though not explicitly stated, it may also be used to power other kinds of spacecraft, and could be related to the oft-used fusion core.

Real world
Real-world fusion reactors currently require more power than they release, so are not yet an economical means of electricity generation. Promising approaches include doughnut-shaped tokamaks, Polywells and laser-driven inertial confinement fusion.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: First Strike