China's artificial sun design can boost nuclear fusion power: Study

China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), also known as the “artificial sun,” has demonstrated significant advancements in nuclear fusion research, potentially accelerating the development of clean, limitless energy. Operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences since 2006, EAST recently set a world record by sustaining steady-state, long-pulse H-mode plasma at temperatures above 100 million degrees Celsius for 1,066 seconds. This achievement marks a critical milestone in magnetic confinement fusion, showcasing the viability of fully superconducting, non-circular tokamak designs for stable, high-performance fusion operation. The research, led by Jianwen Yan and collaborators from multiple Chinese scientific institutions, highlights that EAST’s design overcomes key challenges in maintaining long-duration, high-parameter plasma conditions essential for practical fusion energy generation. Tokamaks use powerful magnetic fields to contain superheated plasma, and EAST’s success in sustaining these extreme conditions demonstrates that advanced superconducting tokamaks can move fusion technology closer to commercial viability.