China’s experimental advanced superconducting tokamak, known as the “artificial sun,” has shattered a world record in nuclear fusion research, sustaining extremely hot plasma for over a minute and a half.
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) facility, located in Hefei, Anhui province, maintained plasma at 50 million degrees Celsius (approximately 90 million degrees Fahrenheit) for 101 seconds.
This breakthrough brings scientists closer to achieving clean, virtually limitless energy by harnessing nuclear fusion, the fundamental process that powers stars.
The recorded temperature of 50 million degrees Celsius is more than three times hotter than the 15 million degrees Celsius found at the core of the sun.
Nuclear fusion generates energy by fusing light atomic nuclei, such as hydrogen isotopes, under immense heat and pressure.
Unlike conventional nuclear fission, fusion does not produce long-lived radioactive waste or contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
A significant challenge in fusion research is maintaining the superheated plasma in a stable state for extended periods.
This record-setting experiment took place in 2015.
China is a key participant in the global International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, currently under construction in France.
Looking ahead, the EAST project aims to achieve an even higher temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius and maintain plasma stability for 1,000 seconds, which is over 16 minutes.
The nation continues to invest heavily in developing this advanced energy technology.