South Korea's " artificial sun " set this impressive record thanks to the use of a new tungsten reflector.
According to scientists , the South Korean Tokamak Superconducting Advanced Research Fusion Reactor set this record during testing from December 2023 to February 2024.
KSTAR successfully maintained a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius for 48 seconds while the Sun's core temperature was 15 million degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research Fusion Reactor also maintained high-limit mode (H mode) for over 100 seconds. H mode is an advanced operating mode in magnetically limited fusion with a stable plasma state.
Fusion reactions mimic the process of generating light and heat from stars. This process involves the fusion of hydrogen nuclei and other light elements to release enormous amounts of energy. Experts hope to use fusion reactors to create an unlimited, carbon-free power source.
The South Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research Fusion Reactor has broken the previous world record, set at 31 seconds in 2021.
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| Korea's KSTAR (K-STAR) Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research Fusion Reactor. |
The National Science and Technology Research Council (NST) of South Korea stated that creating a technology capable of maintaining high temperatures and high-density plasma for optimal fusion reactions over extended periods is crucial. To achieve the new record, the tungsten diverter played a vital role. This is a key component at the bottom of the vacuum bath in the magnetic fusion device. It is crucial in pushing exhaust gases and impurities out of the reactor while withstanding high surface heat loads.
The KSTAR team switched to using tungsten instead of carbon in the conduction system. According to the scientists, tungsten has the highest melting point among metals. KSTAR's success in maintaining the H regime for longer periods is largely due to this upgrade. KSTAR's next goal is to maintain a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius for 300 seconds by 2026.
Readers are invited to watch the video : The closest close-up photos of the sun ever released. Source: THĐT1.
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