China’s artificial sun maintains 100 million °C plasma for over 17 minutes, setting a new world record
China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), commonly known as the “artificial sun,” set a new world record on January 20, 2025, by sustaining plasma temperatures of over 100 million °C (180 million °F) for 1 066 seconds (17.7 minutes). The projects ultimate goal is to provide a source of limitless clean energy and facilitate space exploration beyond the solar system.
plasma inside the nuclear reactor. Image credit: Chinese mission to the UN
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), referred to as China’s “artificial sun,” sustained plasma temperatures exceeding 100 million °C (180 million °F) for 1 066 seconds (17.7 minutes) on Monday, January 20, setting a new world record.
This surpassed the previous record of 403 seconds, which was also set by EAST in 2023.
The ultimate goal of an artificial sun is to replicate nuclear fusion, similar to the process occurring in the sun, to provide a source of limitless clean energy and facilitate space exploration beyond the solar system.
Scientists worldwide have worked for over 70 years to achieve this milestone. However, a nuclear fusion device can only successfully generate electricity if it achieves temperatures exceeding 100 million °C (180 million °F), sustains stable long-term operation, and ensures controllability.
Achieving viable nuclear fusion on Earth requires plasma temperatures hotter than the sun’s core to compensate for Earth’s smaller mass, according to scientists. The core of the sun is estimated to reach approximately 15 million °C (27 million °F).
“A fusion device must achieve stable operation at high efficiency for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining circulation of plasma, which is critical for the continuous power generation of future fusion plants,” said Song Yuntao, director of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (ASIPP). He emphasized that the new record is of monumental significance, marking a critical step toward developing a fusion reactor.
Gong Xianzu, head of the division of EAST Physics and Experimental Operations, stated that several EAST systems have been upgraded since the last round of experiments. For example, the heating system, which previously operated at the equivalent power of nearly 70 000 household microwave ovens, has now doubled its output while maintaining stability and continuity.
Since its inception in 2006, EAST has served as an open test platform for Chinese and international scientists to conduct fusion-related experiments and research.
China officially joined the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) program in 2006 as its seventh member. Under the agreement, China is responsible for approximately 9 percent of the project’s construction and operation, with ASIPP serving as the primary unit for the Chinese mission.
ITER, currently under construction in southern France, will be the world’s largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experimental device and the largest experimental fusion reactor upon completion.
References:
1 China Focus: Chinese “artificial sun” sets new record in milestone step toward fusion power generation –Xinhua – January 20, 2025
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Business as usual and nothing new. Even if the Chinese researchers could maintain a temperature of one billion degrees and for 17 days, no energy gain can ever be achieved. Why? Because, thermonuclear reaction is impossible to be self-sustained. Sadly, in our time leading mainstream scientists do not want to accept the physical reality of thermonuclear reactions. But, of course sooner or later, the scientific truth will always be victorious no matter how long human is suppressing it. However, the only possible way to obtain energy gain from thermonuclear reaction is to be able to change the properties of the fundamental force that rules the Universe. In other words, if you can change the properties of the fundamental force, then you will be able to generate energy gain from thermonuclear reaction.
Nothing new, even if they maintain a temperature of one billion degrees and for 27 days, still the reaction cannot be self-sustained and no energy gain can be achieved. In other words, the only thing that matters is the energy gain and that requires self-sustaining thermonuclear reaction which is physically impossible.