Chinese "artificial sun" sets new record

 China's 'artificial sun' shatters nuclear fusion record 

A nuclear fusion reactor in China, dubbed the "artificial sun," has broken its own record to bring humanity one step closer to near-limitless clean energy. Members of division of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) Physics and Experimental Operations celebrated the success of an experiment in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province,0n 20 Jan, 2025. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), dubbed China's "artificial sun," maintained a steady-state high-confinement plasma operation for a remarkable 1,066 seconds, setting a new world record and marking a breakthrough in the quest for fusion power generation. The duration of 1,000 seconds is considered a key step in fusion research. The breakthrough, achieved by the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, greatly improved the original world record of 403 seconds, which was also set by EAST in 2023.   

China's "artificial sun" reactor has broken its own world record for maintaining super-hot plasma, marking another milestone in the long road towards near-limitless clean energy. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) nuclear fusion reactor maintained a steady, highly confined loop of plasma, the high-energy fourth state of matter, for 1,066 seconds, which more than doubled its previous best of 403 seconds, Chinese state media reported. The duration of 1,000 seconds is considered a key step in fusion research. The breakthrough, achieved by the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP), greatly improved the original world record of 403 seconds. The ultimate goal of an artificial sun is to create nuclear fusion like the sun, providing humanity with an endless, clean energy source and enabling space exploration beyond the solar system. Nuclear fusion reactors are nicknamed "artificial suns" because they generate energy in a similar way to the sun, by fusing two light atoms into a single heavy atom via heat and pressure. The sun has a lot more pressure than Earth's reactors, so scientists compensate by using temperatures which is many times hotter than the sun. Nuclear fusion offers the potential of a near-unlimited power source without greenhouse gas emissions or much nuclear waste. However, it's likely not progressing fast enough to be a practical solution to the climate crisis. Researchers expect us to have fusion power within decades, but it could take much longer. Global scientists have worked for more than 70 years on trying to achieve this feat. However, only after reaching temperatures over 100 million degrees Celsius, sustaining stable long-term operation, and ensuring controllability can a nuclear fusion device successfully generate electricity.

EAST's new record won't immediately usher in what is dubbed the "Holy Grail" of clean power, but it is a step towards a possible future where fusion power plants generate electricity. East is a magnetic confinement reactor, or tokamak, designed to keep the plasma continuously burning for prolonged periods. Reactors like this have never achieved ignition, which is the point at which nuclear fusion creates its own energy and sustains its own reaction, but the new record is a step towards maintaining prolonged, confined plasma loops that future reactors will need to generate electricity. "A fusion device must achieve stable operation at high efficiency for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining circulation of plasma, which is critical for the continuous power generation of future fusion plants," said Song Yuntao, director of the Institute of Plasma Physics responsible for the fusion project at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said. Gong Xianzu, head of the division of EAST Physics and Experimental Operations, said they have upgraded several EAST systems since the last round of experiments. For example, the heating system, which previously operated at the equivalent of nearly 70,000 household microwave ovens, has now doubled its power output while also maintaining stability and continuity. EAST is one of several nuclear fusion reactors worldwide, but they all currently use far more energy than they produce. In 2022, the US National Ignition Facility's fusion reactor briefly achieved ignition in its core using a different experimental method to EAST, relying on quick bursts of energy, but the reactor as a whole still used more energy than it consumed.

Since starting operation in 2006, EAST has been an open test platform for Chinese and international scientists to conduct fusion-related experiments and research. China officially joined the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) program in 2006 as its seventh member. According to the agreement, China is responsible for about 9 % of the project's construction and operation, and ASIPP is the main unit of the Chinese mission. ITER, which is under construction in southern France, will be the world's largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment device and the largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor, once completed.  "Tokamaks like EAST are the most common nuclear fusion reactors. EAST heats up plasma and traps it inside a donut-shaped reactor chamber, called the tokamak, with powerful magnetic fields. For the latest record, researchers made several upgrades to the reactor, including doubling the power of its heating system, according to Chinese state media. In recent years, EAST has continuously achieved ground breaking milestones in the high confinement mode, which serves as the fundamental mode for experimental fusion reactors, including ITER and the future China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), providing valuable references for the construction of fusion reactors worldwide. "We hope to expand international collaboration via EAST and bring fusion energy into practical use for humanity," said Song. The data gathered by EAST will support the development of other reactors, both in China and internationally. China is part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) program, which involves dozens of countries, including the US, UK, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

In Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, where EAST is located, a new generation of experimental fusion research facilities is under construction, aiming to further accelerate the application and development of fusion energy.  The ITER reactor, which is being built in southern France, contains the world's most powerful magnet and will fire up in 2039 at the earliest. ITER will be an experimental tool designed to create sustained fusion for research purposes, but could pave the way for fusion power plants. "We hope to expand international collaboration via EAST and bring fusion energy into practical use for humanity," Song said.