Chinese scientists are nearing the creation of controlled thermonuclear fusion following a breakthrough in plasma physics. Research from the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is published in the journal Science Advances and focuses on novel techniques for initiating and managing plasma within tokamaks.
Fusion power necessitates heating plasma to hundreds of millions of degrees and maintaining its stable confinement. A primary hurdle remains achieving high plasma density without sacrificing stability. The presented study suggests a regime combining magnetic confinement and auxiliary heating via electromagnetic waves, which permits overcoming previously existing constraints.
The lead researcher, Professor Zhu, stated that the proposed method transcends typical technological refinements and enables tokamaks to operate with greater plasma density metrics. In his view, this could form the foundation for subsequent fusion reactors.
The practical importance of the work is linked to the Chinese EAST tokamak, situated in Hefei. In January 2025, it managed to sustain super-hot plasma for over 1000 seconds. New plasma control procedures could enhance these accomplishments and bring closer the attainment of ignition, where the facility produces more power than it consumes.
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