China’s ‘Artificial sun’ EAST
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News- Recently China’s ‘artificial sun’, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor, sustained plasma for 1,000 seconds, breaking its 2023 record of 403 seconds.

China's 'Artificial sun' EAST
Source- Phys.org

About Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor

  • It is a fusion research device located at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei, China.
  • It became operational in 2006.
  • Its purpose is to study and develop nuclear fusion technology by replicating the process that powers the Sun.
  • It aims to achieve sustained high-temperature plasma confinement, advancing research for future clean and limitless energy sources.
  • It serves as a testing platform for materials, superconducting technology, and plasma control methods essential for next-generation fusion reactors like International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).
About Nuclear Fusion 

  • Nuclear fusion is a process in which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a significant amount of energy. 
  • It powers stars, including the Sun, and holds potential as a clean and virtually limitless energy source on Earth. 

About International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)

  • ITER is an international collaboration involving China, Europe, Japan, India, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. 
  • India formally joined ITER in 2005.
  • It is being built in France to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion as a sustainable energy source.
  • It will become the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor when it becomes operational in 2035.
  • Designed as the largest Tokamak device, it aims to test magnetic confinement for producing fusion energy. 
    • A Tokamak is a doughnut-shaped device designed for controlled thermonuclear fusion.

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