China's 'artificial sun' has reached a major milestone bringing scientists one step closer to achieving limitless energy.
The nation sets a new world record for new energy technologies.
Scientists working on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) successfully kept their fusion reactor running for 1,066 seconds - which is almost 18 minutes.
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Constructed in 2006, EAST is an experimental fusion reactor designed to mimic the Sun’s nuclear fusion process. It uses superconducting magnets to contain superheated plasma, creating the same conditions that power stars.
The goal is to one day develop a clean and virtually limitless energy source that could one day replace fossil fuels.
But right now, the 'artificial sun' device is still in the experimental stage. And while China has made impressive progress, there’s still a long way to go before fusion energy becomes a practical power source.
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Fusion reactors like EAST use plasma and magnetic fields to force hydrogen atoms to collide at extreme speeds and pressures. This releases massive amounts of energy.
Before this recent breakthrough, the longest a fusion reactor had kept hot plasma stable was 403 seconds in 2023.
So, achieving this new milestone was no easy feat. One of the challenges of using nuclear fusion devices - reaching beyond 100 million degrees Celsius - is keeping the plasma stable for long periods to generate electricity efficiently.
The new 1,066-second record was achieved by the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences with its director and vice president of HFIPS, Song Yuntao, calling it monumental.
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"A fusion device must achieve stable operation at high efficiency for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining circulation of plasma, which is essential for the continuous power generation of future fusion plants," Yuntao explained.
China has kept the details of its achievement pretty under the radar, but the researchers did confirm that new innovations in their heating system helped double its power output, according to Science Alert.
"We hope to expand international collaboration via EAST and bring fusion energy into practical use for humanity," added Yuntao. And that they have. China has already began construction of a new generation of experimental fusion research facilities in east China's Anhui Province.
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Elsewhere, researchers at the KSTAR Research Center at the Korean Institute of Fusion Energy, set a world record by sustaining a temperature that was seven times hotter than the Sun’s core. Their breakthrough was yet another big step forward in the pursuit of clean energy through nuclear fusion.