Worth noting that the milestone achieved was positive Q_plasma (more energy out of the plasma than in). They are using inefficient lasers because they are chea

Worth noting that the milestone achieved was positive Q_plasma (more energy out of the plasma than in). They are using inefficient lasers because they are cheaper to buy/maintain/modify for research purposes. Determining the conditions for positive Q_plasma is largely a matter of science/research so the external system doesn't matter as long as the variables are controlled and results are reproducible. Once positive Q_plasma is well understood/reproducible, achieving positive Q_total (more energy produced than spent running the infrastructure) is just a matter of engineering and potentially waiting for the SOTA for components (like lasers or materials) to catch up. TLDR: This is the scientists proving the theory. Now it's the scientists' job to refine the theory. Then the engineers get to put it into production.