A high-density and high-confinement tokamak plasma regime for fusion energy. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38658758/)

These scientists were working on a special kind of machine called a tokamak, which uses a strong magnetic field to hold a super hot substance called plasma. They were trying to figure out how to make the tokamak work better so that it can create energy like the sun does.

In their study, the scientists were trying to make the tokamak perform at its best by increasing the density of the plasma and improving how well it holds the energy. They were able to achieve a line-averaged density that was 20% higher than what was thought possible, and the energy confinement quality was 50% better than before.

By doing this, the scientists showed that the tokamak can work really well without causing any big problems at the edges of the plasma. This is important because it means that we might be able to use this technology to create energy in a way that is good for the environment and cost-effective.

Overall, this study is a big step forward in making fusion energy a reality, which could help us have a cleaner and more sustainable source of power in the future.

Ding S., Garofalo AM., Wang HQ., Weisberg DB., Li ZY., Jian X., Eldon D., Victor BS., Marinoni A., Hu QM., Carvalho IS., Odstrcil T., Wang L., Hyatt AW., Osborne TH., Gong XZ., Qian JP., Huang J., McClenaghan J., Holcomb CT., Hanson JM. A high-density and high-confinement tokamak plasma regime for fusion energy. Nature. 2024 May;629(8012):555-560. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07313-3. Epub 2024 Apr 24.