English 
Spanish 
3 min read
China breaks nuclear fusion record by generating, sustaining and confining super-hot fusion plasma for 403 seconds
Last Wednesday (12), the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Hefei set a new record in the field of nuclear fusion by generating, sustaining and confining a super-hot fusion plasma for 403 seconds. China's Advanced Experimental Tokamak Superconductor (EAST), also called the Artificial Sun, broke the previous record of 101 seconds, set in 2017.
Nuclear fusion is considered a cleaner and safer alternative to nuclear fission and can be used as an energy source. Nuclear fusion does not create radioactive waste and produces three to four times more energy than nuclear fission.
Watch the video below and check out the Artificial Sun that promises to revolutionize the industry and fight climate change on the planet
Superconducting magnets to control the plasma
O tokamak is a donut-shaped machine that uses powerful magnets to contain a circular flow of superhot plasma. Plasma is created when atoms are heated to such high temperatures that they become torn apart, resulting in a “soup” of positively and negatively charged electrons and ions. To maintain these super-hot temperatures, the plasma must be confined to a small area, which is done by magnets. The field needed to control the plasma is generated by passing huge currents through large conductors. The use of superconducting magnets allows the EAST to reach and maintain high temperatures efficiently, as they produce zero resistance and no waste heat under the right conditions.
- What fuel is used in the upcoming nuclear fusion reactors? Learn what tritium is and why only 20 kg of it is produced per year in the world
- New Chernobyl: The place where the US created the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is about to become an even bigger problem
- Nuclear energy: How the 4th generation nuclear reactor that promises to power ships around the world works — 7 years without refueling and record speed
- China bets heavily on nuclear energy with investment in 11 new reactors
Artificial Sun Contribution to International Collaboration
China's Artificial Sun contributed to the 35-year collaboration between China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the UK and the US to develop and optimize the world's largest tokamak machine , call ITER. Currently under construction in France, ITER is expected to produce its first plasma in late 2025 and be fully operational by 2035. The international collaboration aims to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor capable of sustainably and safely producing energy.
O total cost of the ITER project is estimated at around 20 billion euros, making it one of the most expensive scientific projects ever undertaken. However, fusion power advocates argue that the investment is worth it, as fusion power has the potential to be a clean and plentiful source of energy for future generations.
China's nuclear fusion creates no radioactive waste and produces three to four times more energy than nuclear fission.
Nuclear fusion is considered a cleaner and safer alternative to nuclear fission and fossil fuels. Fusion creates no radioactive waste and produces three to four times more energy than nuclear fission.. Furthermore, fusion does not release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, unlike burning fossil fuels. However, fusion requires large amounts of energy to reach the temperature and pressure necessary for the reaction. The international collaboration seeks to overcome these challenges to make nuclear fusion a viable and sustainable energy source.
