[giblfiz]

Yes, but the name "ignition" is very useful.

The idea, ultimately, is that like with a wood fire, the energy from the fuel "burning" is what starts the next bit of fuel "burning", and then as it runs on it's own as long as you keep giving it more fuel, you collect the excess heat by boiling water.

So, similar to a wood fire, you might need to use a blowtorch to get it started, and run at a net negative of energy, but the exciting thing is that there was a little flame... that means we can probably make a roaring fire out of it.

[TheOtherHobbes]

No it doesn't. If you throw some fuel in their general direction, oxygen fires are self-sustaining with relatively little effort. It takes more effort to stop a large oxygen fire than to make one.

Fusion is the opposite. Fusion's natural state is Not Fusing, so in ICF you have to keep compressing and heating the fuel. Using equipment with optically tight tolerances and epic pulsed energy densities. Which are somehow maintained reliably for long periods. In spite of significant debris and huge temperature swings.

[kortex]

Fire's natural state is burning only at standard temperature and pressure (or greater). If you look at the "average" state of all space in the universe, fire is not stable.