The reason why we can make a fusion bomb but not a fusion reactor is because fusion bombs achieve uncontrolled and rapid energy release.
And fusion reactors aim for sustained and controlled energy generation.
Creating of a controlled and sustained fusion reaction for energy production in a reactor is a significant challenge.
In a bomb the containment is achieved by the sheer force of the explosion and in a reactor it's still a major engineering challenge to develop materials which can withstand the intense heat and the radiation that is produced by the fusion reaction.
Fusion bombs also often typically use deuterium and tritium "isotopes of hydrogen", as fuel and reactors are also exploring the use of these isotopes although the fuel supply is a continuous process.
And reactors also need to breed tritium as it is consumed during the process of fusion and this involves using of lithium in the reactor blanket and also capturing neutrons from the fusion reaction in order to create more tritium.
Bombs work by using the rapid release of energy from an explosive material to cause destruction.
The rapid energy release from the bombs explosive material is often caused by a chemical reaction which creates a large volume of hot and high pressure gas which results in an explosion.
The type and the scale of the explosion from the bomb will vary significantly depending on the design of the bomb as well as the explosive material that is used.
Most types of bombs use chemical compounds, which when ignited, they undergo a rapid exothermic heat releasing reaction and this reaction is what produces a large volume of hot gases and creates a surge of pressure.
For nuclear bombs, such as atomic bombs, they harness the power of and use nuclear fission or fusion and the fission involves splitting the nucleus of an atom like uranium or plutonium and releases tremendous energy.
The Fusion involves the fusing of atomic nuclei together and also releases vast amounts of energy as seen in hydrogen bombs.
Some types of bombs contain a fuse that initiates the explosive reaction and these fuses can also be triggered by impact such as upon hitting of a target, a time delay after a set period of time or even through proximity when near a target.
For bombs that rely on chemical explosives a primary explosive which is more sensitive is often used to trigger the detonation of a secondary explosive which is less sensitive but also more powerful.
Conventional bombs are the most common type of bomb that uses chemical explosives for detonation and Thermobaric Bombs use a fuel-air mixture that creates a large explosion and potentially causes significant damage in enclosed spaces.
Nuclear bombs are the most powerful bombs that use nuclear fission or fusion to cause devastating explosions.
The first bomb was invented and developed in the 13th century using gun powder in China.
Although the first actual nuclear bombs and nuclear weapons were invented and developed during the World War II as part of the Manhattan Project by the United States, although with significant contributions from scientists such as Edward Teller and J. Robert Oppenheimer.
J. Robert Oppenheimer also led the design and the research of the atomic bomb at the Los Alamos Laboratory.
Edward teller also then later contributed to the development of the hydrogen bomb.
J. Robert Oppenheimer was the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory in which the atomic bombs called "Little Boy", and "Fat Man", were designed.
Edward Teller was a key figure in the development of the hydrogen bomb, which is also known as the thermonuclear weapon.
Stanislaw Ulam collaborated with Edward Teller on the design of the first hydrogen bomb.
The "Little Boy" atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and the atomic bomb "Fat Man", was dropped on Nagasaki.
After the Little Boy atomic bomb designed at Los Alamos was dropped on Hiroshima, J. Robert Oppenheimer also talked to assembled workers and said that he was “proud” and his only regret was not getting the bomb fast enough to use against the Germans.