A fusion reactor is a device designed to harness the power of nuclear fusion, the process that powers stars, including the Sun. In fusion, energy is released when light atomic nuclei combine to form heavier nuclei under conditions of extremely high temperature and pressure. The most common fusion reaction for earthly applications involves the isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium, producing helium and a neutron, along with a significant amount of energy. Fusion reactors aim to replicate this stellar process in a controlled environment to produce clean, sustainable, and nearly limitless energy without the radioactive waste associated with current nuclear fission reactors. Despite significant scientific and engineering challenges, such as achieving and maintaining the required conditions for a net energy gain, several experimental reactors like ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) and various national projects are actively pursuing the development of practical fusion power.
Major milestone in European and Japanese contributions to ITER fusion energy project. The ITER fusion energy project marks a significant milestone with the completion of…
A team from Princeton has developed a machine learning method to control plasma edge bursts in fusion reactors, achieving high performance without instabilities and reducing…
Researchers successfully simulate a novel combination method for managing fusion plasma. In their ongoing quest to develop a range of methods for managing plasma so…
A new study documents record-breaking electron temperatures in a compact, sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion device. In the nine decades since humans first produced fusion reactions, only…
Scientists take advantage of imperfections in magnetic fields to enhance fusion plasma. In the Japanese art of Kintsugi, an artist takes the broken shards of…
Detailed study of high-temperature superconducting magnets built by MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems confirms they meet requirements for an economic, compact fusion power plant. In…
A Princeton-led team has developed an AI model to predict and avert plasma instabilities in fusion reactors, showcasing real-time control improvements and setting the stage…
Fast ions and plasma waves in fusion reactors engage in a complex dance of energy transfer, with resonance and collision impacts playing significant roles. This…
Neural networks guided by physics are creating new ways to observe the complexities of plasmas. Fusion experiments take place under extreme conditions, with extremely high-temperature…
New observations at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility offer vital insights into energetic ions in fusion plasmas, key for fusion power development and space plasma…
Perturbing the edge magnetic field of a tokamak produces a counterintuitive response: particles entering the confined region rather than escaping it. A tokamak uses magnetic…
Fusion’s success as a renewable energy depends on the creation of an industry to support it, and academia is vital to that industry’s development. A…
Federal funding brings together experts to chart a viable path to realizing fusion energy as a clean power source. The University of Rochester’s Laboratory for…
EPFL started up a variable-configuration tokamak reactor in 1992. Today, EPFL is a leading research institute in nuclear fusion, with the goal of replicating on…
An international team of researchers has discovered a method to predict and control the rotational temperatures of hydrogen molecules in fusion reactors. Humans may never…
A new paper lays out scientific methods for measuring and calculating Q in a sheared-flow-stabilized Z pinch. Zap Energy has outlined its unique approach to…
Plasma physicists from Ukraine, Germany and Japan collaborate to spark fusion power. Despite being forced to evacuate the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology due…
Researchers discover that ions behave differently in fusion reactions. Ions behave differently in fusion reactions than previously expected, according to new findings by scientists at…