The quest for clean and unlimited energy has taken a major leap forward as a team of researchers in South Korea successfully ran a nuclear fusion reactor at temperatures hotter than the Sun’s core for half a minute. Nuclear fusion is the process of merging two atomic nuclei to form a heavier one, releasing enormous amounts of energy in the process. This is how the Sun and other stars produce their light and heat.

However, replicating this phenomenon on Earth has proven to be extremely challenging, requiring immense pressure and temperature to initiate and sustain the reaction. The researchers at Seoul National University (SNU) and the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) used a device called a tokamak, which is a doughnut-shaped chamber that contains a ring of superheated gas called plasma. The plasma is confined by powerful magnets that prevent it from touching the walls of the chamber, which would cause it to cool down and stop the reaction.

The team modified an existing technique called internal transport barrier (ITB) to create a low-density plasma that had higher temperatures at the core and lower temperatures at the edge. This improved the stability and efficiency of the plasma, allowing it to reach over 100 million degrees Celsius for 30 seconds. This is nearly seven times hotter than the Sun’s core, which is estimated to be around 15 million degrees Celsius. This achievement is significant because it demonstrates that nuclear fusion can be achieved and maintained at the conditions required for a viable reactor. While the duration and temperature alone are not records, the combination of both is a remarkable feat that brings us closer to harnessing fusion power for practical purposes.

Fusion power has been touted as the ultimate solution for our energy needs, as it produces no greenhouse gases, no radioactive waste, and uses abundant fuels such as hydrogen isotopes. However, there are still many technical and engineering hurdles to overcome before fusion power can become a reality. The researchers hope that their experiment will provide valuable insights for future fusion projects, such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France, which aims to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power by 2035.

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