Scientists Set New World Record: ‘Artificial Sun’ Hits 100 Million Degrees Celsius

In a groundbreaking achievement, South Korean researchers have set a new global benchmark by maintaining a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius in a nuclear fusion experiment, a temperature that is seven times that of the sun’s core. This endeavor aims to mimic the fusion reactions that power the sun and stars, combining atoms to release vast amounts of energy.

Nuclear fusion, often celebrated as the ultimate clean energy solution, has the potential to deliver unlimited energy without emitting carbon dioxide, the main driver of global warming.

Achieving fusion energy:
The technology behind fusion energy typically involves a tokamak, a doughnut-shaped chamber where hydrogen isotopes are heated to extreme temperatures to form plasma.

Si-Woo Yoon, director of the KSTAR Research Center at the Korean Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE), explained to CNN the importance of achieving high-temperature, high-density plasma states that can be sustained for extended periods for the development of future fusion reactors. He noted the challenges in maintaining the stability of high-temperature plasma.

During tests conducted from December 2023 to February 2024, KFE’s KSTAR device, also referred to as an “artificial sun,” successfully maintained plasma and temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius for 48 seconds, surpassing the previous 30-second record set in 2021.

This achievement was facilitated by a modification in the fusion process, specifically by using tungsten instead of carbon in the diverters, which are responsible for removing impurities and excess heat from the fusion reaction.

KSTAR aims to maintain plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees for at least 300 seconds by 2026, a milestone that Si-Woo Yoon describes as crucial for scaling up fusion energy operations.

The advances made by the KSTAR team are expected to contribute significantly to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in southern France, the world’s largest tokamak, paving the way for the commercialization of fusion energy and underscoring the global collaborative effort to harness this clean, limitless power source.