© XinhuaChina, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US are jointly working on the ITER project.
Scientists in France have finally received one of their latest and most impressive tools in the effort to create nuclear fusion:
a really big honkin' magnet.
Researchers at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) debuted
the first part of the magnet on Thursday when they received it from its American manufacturer,
according to The Associated Press. When fully assembled, the magnet stands at a staggering
60 feet tall and is 14 feet in diameter; it's also powerful enough to lift an aircraft carrier.
First-of-a-KindThe magnet itself is actually known as a "central solenoid."
It'll be used as a superconductor to attain the incredible amounts of heat and pressure necessary to produce nuclear fusion. The solenoid can generate a magnetic field roughly 280,000 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field,
according to New Scientist.
"Each completion of a major first-of-a-kind component — such as the central solenoid's first module — increases our confidence that we can complete the complex engineering of the full machine," said Laban Coblentz, spokesperson for ITER.
Sun on EarthNuclear fusion has been something of an El Dorado for many scientists over the years. Though it promises clean energy that'll cut down greenhouse gas emissions, it is incredibly difficult to achieve, and
scientists have yet to produce a reactor that produces more energy than it consumes.
However, the ITER fusion reactor is slated to be one of the largest reactors out there and many believe it's one of the more promising efforts to finally achieve the elusive goal of nuclear fusion.
Comment: China currently holds the
record for creating the hottest and longest lasting plasma in their 'artificial sun'
China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) has set a new record in the latest experiment, where it achieved a plasma temperature of 216 million Fahrenheit (120 million C) for 101 seconds. Not just that, the scientists working on the "artificial sun", also achieved 288 million Fahrenheit (160 million C) for 20 seconds, according to state media reports.
See also:
Why the sun's atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than its surface
Comment: China currently holds the record for creating the hottest and longest lasting plasma in their 'artificial sun' See also: Why the sun's atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than its surface