‘Artificial sun’ sets a new record towards the goal of unlimited clean energy

On By Littum

Here comes the sun.

Scientists in China have reportedly achieved a stunning breakthrough in the study of fusion power generation – bringing us one step closer to creating an endless source of clean energy.

Dubbed China’s “artificial sun,” the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reached a steady state of operation Monday in a staggering 1,066 seconds.


Experimental advanced superconducting Tokamak machine performing steady-state high confinement plasma operation with orange particles coming out
Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) machine that performs nuclear fusion. The emanating orange particles represent the circulation of the same kind of highly charged gas – plasma – that powers the sun. HFIPS

That’s almost three times as long as the previous record of 403 seconds, set in 2023.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) aim to safely replicate the Sun’s nuclear fusion processes here on Earth, thereby solving global energy crises and facilitating the exploration of even further reaches of space.

Nuclear fusion works on light atoms collide together to form a single, heavier nucleus that is smaller than the mass of the two original nuclei. The remaining mass is converted into a powerful burst of energy – the same kind that powers the sun and stars.


A large machine inside a building operating a stable high-containment plasma for 1,066 seconds
The EAST laboratory debuted in 2006 as an open test platform for both international scientists to conduct fusion-related experiments and research. HFIPS

Song Yuntao, vice president of CAS’s Hefei Institutes of Physical Science and director of Heifei’s Institute of Plasma Physics, said in a statement“A fusion device must achieve stable, high-efficiency operation for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining circulation of plasma that is essential for the continuous energy production of future fusion plants.”

For over 70 years, physicists around the world have dreamed of developing a nuclear fusion reactor that would maintain stable long-term operation at temperatures above 100 million degrees Celsius.

EAST’s latest performance came close to 108 million degrees Celsius for 17 minutes and 46 seconds, according to a report by China Daily.

“We hope to expand international cooperation via EAST and bring fusion energy to practical use for humanity,” Song said.