Most technology creators would consider a seconds-long test a bitter disappointment, but it’s a rousing success in the world of fusion energy. According to Phys.org, the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device recently set a world record by maintaining its plasma at a super-hot 180 million degrees Fahrenheit for 20 seconds. That may not sound like much, but no previous fusion machine lasted for more than 10 seconds in those conditions — even KSTAR held out for just eight seconds in 2019.
The key was to improve the Internal Transport Barrier that helps with plasma confinement and stability.
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