Fusion Breakthrough as on 16 September 2025

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 Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one while releasing massive amounts of energy.

Fusion reactions take place in a state of matter called plasma — a hot, charged gas made of positive ions and free-moving electrons with unique properties distinct from solids, liquids or gases.

The sun, along with all other stars, is powered by this reaction. To fuse in our sun, nuclei need to collide with each other at extremely high temperatures, around ten million degrees Celsius. The high temperature provides them with enough energy to overcome their mutual electrical repulsion. Once the nuclei come within a very close range of each other, the attractive nuclear force between them will outweigh the electrical repulsion and allow them to fuse. For this to happen, the nuclei must be confined within a small space to increase the chances of collision. In the sun, the extreme pressure produced by its immense gravity creates the conditions for fusion.

Most of the fusion reactor concepts under development will use a mixture of deuterium and tritium — hydrogen atoms that contain extra neutrons. 

Why it is difficult to achieve Nuclear Fusion?

We need temperatures of over 100 million degrees Celsius to make deuterium and tritium fuse, while regulating pressure and magnetic forces at the same time, for a stable confinement of the plasma and to maintain the fusion reaction long enough to produce more energy than what was required to start the reaction.

While conditions that are very close to those required in a fusion reactor are now routinely achieved in experiments, improved confinement properties and stability of the plasma are still needed to maintain the reaction and produce energy in a sustained manner. 

Recent Breakthrough:

The WEST, or Tungsten (chemical symbol “W“) Environment in Steady-state Tokamak, of the France (formerly Tore Supra) set a new record for duration at 22 minutes and 17 seconds, while operating at lower temperatures.

The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), also known as HT-7U (Hefei Tokamak 7 Upgrade), is an experimental superconducting tokamak magnetic fusion energy reactor in Hefei, China reported on January 20, 2025, sustaining plasma for 1066 seconds.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEST_(formerly_Tore_Supra)
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_Advanced_Superconducting_Tokamak
  3. https://www.iaea.org/bulletin/what-is-fusion-and-why-is-it-so-difficult-to-achieve
  4. https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-is-nuclear-fusion

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