Is it hot in here or is it just the fusion reactor?
China broke a record with its Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) fusion reactor on Friday by maintaining a plasma temperature of 120 million degrees Celsius for 101 seconds. according to the Global times. The reactor was also able to maintain a temperature of 160 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds.
From a perspective, the core of the sun in our galaxy “only” reaches around 15 million degrees Celsius. according to Space.com. For a moment, EAST got more than ten times hotter.
This is a major milestone for the EAST reactor, dubbed the “artificial sun” because it can replicate the natural nuclear fusion process of stars. This can help solve the mystery of creating sustainable, reliable sources of energy.
“The breakthrough is a significant advance, and the ultimate goal should be to keep the temperature stable for a long time,” said Li Miao, director of the physics department at the Southern Science and Technology University in Shenzhen, China. to the Global times.
The recent accomplishment is especially impressive considering the EAST reactor had achieved one before Record temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius in 2018. Now it has smashed that number and a few more.
Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told reporters on Global times This nuclear fusion ultimately represents the future of clean energy – although he stressed that it will likely take decades for a working reactor to emerge from experimental stages.
“It is more of a future technology that is critical to China’s green development boost,” Boqiang told the company Global times.
Regardless of when fusion reactors will finally move beyond experimentation, this development is still incredibly exciting – and just another big step forward unlimited clean energy a reality.
CONTINUE READING: China keeps the artificial sun at 120 million degrees Celsius for over 100 seconds, setting a new world record [Global Times]
More about EAST: China: New “artificial sun” will be completed this year
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