File:Inertial fusion implosion.svg

English: Snapshot of an inertially confined fusion implosion at the time of minimum volume, when the shell's velocity becomes nearly zero. At this time, the plastic or diamond ablator has been almost entirely vaporized into a large exploding cloud around the fusion fuel. The fuel comprises a dense and relatively cold shell around a hot and relatively low-density hot-spot. The hot-spot achieves the conditions necessary for thermonuclear fusion reactions to take place. The fusion reactions produce high-energy neutrons that carry energy otu of the implosion, where they may be collected by a blanket. The reactions may produce other high-energy particles, such as protons, if a fuel other than deuterium–tritium is used. To maximize performance, the implosion must be roughly spherical.