KSTAR sustained plasma in high-confinement mode (H-mode) for 102 seconds during experiments conducted between December 2023 and February 2024

¨     KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) sustained plasma in high-confinement mode (H-mode) for 102 seconds during experiments conducted between December 2023 and February 2024.

¨  During the same experimental campaign, KSTAR maintained plasma at an ion temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius for 48 seconds, setting a new record for the facility.

¨     KSTAR is a superconducting tokamak located in Daejeon.

¨     It is operated by the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE).

¨    A tokamak is a magnetic confinement device used in fusion research to contain plasma within a toroidal (doughnut-shaped) chamber.

¨     High-confinement mode (H-mode) is a plasma operating regime first identified in tokamak experiments in 1982.

¨     It enables improved confinement of heat and particles within the plasma.

¨  As a result, H-mode is considered crucial for achieving efficient nuclear fusion reactions.

¨  A plasma temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius is a standard target in magnetic fusion experiments using deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel.

¨   KSTAR’s previous record was maintaining plasma at 100 million degrees Celsius for 30 seconds in 2021.

¨  The new achievement represents an important step toward the development of commercial nuclear fusion energy.

President of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly