South Korea’s Artificial Sun Reaches 100 Million Degrees For 20 Seconds

KSTAR, a superconducting fusion device built, an artificial sun by South Korea has set a new record after reaching 100 million degrees for 20 seconds.

The project is a work of the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy, Seoul National University, and the US’ Columbia University. This record surpasses the previous 8-second record of an operation conducted during the KSTAR Plasma Campaign last year. 2018 was the first time that the artificial sun could sustain 100 million degrees. But that only lasted for 1.5 seconds.

By placing hydrogen isotopes inside the KSTAR, researchers tried to recreate the moon’s fusion reactions. A plasma stated was created where electrons and ions were separated. Irons were heated and maintained at extreme temperatures.

KSTAR is not the world’s first fusion device that can perform such reactions. But, none of those devices could last 10 seconds. Meanwhile, KSTAR lasted for a whole 20 seconds.

Eventually, the researchers who are working on the KSTAR are now trying to make the device run for 300 seconds continuously with a temperature even higher than 100 million degrees by 2025.

According to KSTAR Research Center’s director Si-Woo Yoon, the technologies used for the operation are the key to fusion energy’s realization. The success of the KSTAR in maintaining 100 million degrees for seconds will become an important achievement in the race for the techs for the long high-performance plasma operation. This is a critical factor of a nuclear fusion reactor for commercial use.

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