China fires up world’s biggest superconducting magnet for nuclear fusion project

AI Summary

China's CRAFT nuclear fusion project achieved a major milestone as the world's biggest superconducting magnet passed final tests, surpassing international benchmarks. This advancement in magnetic confinement technology is critical to progressing toward viable fusion energy.

The world’s biggest superconducting magnet for a nuclear fusion reactor has passed final tests as part of China’s CRAFT “artificial sun” project, eclipsing international performance benchmarks. The assembly comprises two coils: a toroidal-field magnet that acts as a magnetic cage, and a central solenoid that serves as the igniter. The results, achieved by researchers with the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, clear a major engineering hurdle on the path to confining a...