The pursuit of nearly limitless fusion energy has reached a significant milestone at an experimental reactor in France. Scientists operating the WEST tokamak successfully sustained a superhot plasma at astonishing temperatures for a record-breaking six minutes, marking a major advancement in the journey towards viable fusion power.
A tokamak is a donut-shaped device that uses powerful magnetic fields to contain and control plasma – an extremely hot, charged gaseous mixture crucial for replicating the fusion reactions seen in stars. The WEST (Tungsten Environment in Steady-State Tokamak) reactor, operated by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), stands at the forefront of this research.
The breakthrough was made possible by the use of tungsten, a grayish-white metal known for its exceptional heat-resistant properties. The interior of the WEST tokamak is lined with tungsten, enabling the plasma to reach incredibly high temperatures and densities without damaging the chamber walls.
During this record-setting run, the team injected 1.15 gigajoules of power into WEST, sustaining a plasma burning at approximately 50 million degrees Celsius – over three times hotter than the core of the Sun.
The Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL) played a crucial role in this achievement by providing specialized X-ray diagnostic tools to accurately measure the intense plasma conditions within WEST. According to Luis Delgado-Aparicio of PPPL, “The plasma fusion community was among the first to utilize hybrid photon counting technology to monitor plasma dynamics.”
CEA scientist Xavier Litaudon explained the significance of this breakthrough with the tungsten tokamak. “We need to deliver a new source of energy, and the source should be continuous and permanent.”
Nuclear fusion could be that game-changing energy source – a virtually inexhaustible supply of clean power without any radioactive waste or carbon emissions. However, achieving self-sustaining fusion reactions that generate more energy than they consume has proven to be an immense challenge. The extreme temperatures and confinement times required make it difficult to extract more energy from the superhot plasma than what’s needed to initiate and maintain the fusion process.
This recent breakthrough at WEST is promising. As Remi Dumont, who coordinated the experiment, succinctly put it – “a spectacular result.” While humankind’s fusion energy dreams are still years or decades away, milestones like this show we’re steadily inching closer.
Major players are also doubling down on fusion’s promise. Microsoft partnered with Helion to develop commercial fusion by 2028, while Japan unveiled the massive JT-60SA tokamak reactor last year – a six-story behemoth designed to tackle the fusion confinement challenge.
Scaling up this new tungsten reactor approach could bring the long-awaited fusion future into sharper focus.
TECH STRING 
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