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KSTAR, or the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research Reactor, is a superconducting fusion device called the Korean artificial sun. KSTAR has set a new world record for maintaining high-temperature plasma for 20 seconds, reaching an ion temperature of more than 100 million degrees Celsius. Scientists working on the project now aim to continuously operate high-temperature plasma at more than 100 million degrees for 300 seconds by 2025.
Achieving an ion temperature above 100 million degrees is a fundamental nuclear fusion condition for the KSTAR 2020 plasma campaign. While 20 seconds is not that long, it is a significant improvement over eight-second plasma operation. seconds recorded in 2019 by the team of researchers.
In 2018, the team reached a plasma ion temperature of 100 million degrees for the first time with a duration of 1.5 seconds. The fusion reactor can create fusion reactions like those that occur in the sun. To create such high temperatures on Earth, hydrogen isotopes must be placed inside a fusion device to create a plasma state where ions and electrons separate. The ions must be heated and held at extremely high temperatures.
KSTAR is the only fusion device that has managed to maintain plasma at temperatures of 100 million degrees or more. However, none of the other reactors have been able to maintain those temperatures for more than 10 seconds. Director Si-Woo Yoon of the KSTAR Research Center said that the technology needed for long-term 100-million-degree plasma operations is key to realizing fusion energy.
Investigators in Korea began operating KSTAR last August and continued plasma operations until December 10. The researchers conducted 110 plasma experiments during that time, including high throughput plasma operation and plasma disruption mitigation experiments.
