Tokamak Nuclear Fusion reactror Tokamak fusion reactor.  Wikimedia

Korean Fusion Reactor sets new nuclear fusion record for sustaining 100 million degree plasma.

Scientists in South Korea have set a remarkable new achievement in the quest for abundant energy through nuclear fusion by achieving a staggering temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius, seven times hotter than the core of the Sun, for a record period of 48 seconds.

This was accomplished using a device called a Tokamak, a donut-shaped reactor where hydrogen molecules are heated to extreme temperatures to form plasma.

New Nuclear Fusion record for sustaining 100 Million Degree PlasmaVarious Heating Devices Surround KSTAR.  KFE

Maintaining such high temperatures for extended periods is crucial for future fusion reactors, according to Si Woo Yun, director of the KSTAR Research Center at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE). He emphasizes the difficulty of this feat due to the unstable nature of high-temperature plasma.

KSTAR, dubbed an “artificial sun,” sustained this milestone temperature for 48 seconds during tests conducted between December 2023 and February 2024, surpassing its previous record set in 2021 by 18 seconds.

source KFE