France sets a new record on the hunt for Nuclear Fusion

French scientists have announced that they have set up a new record of 22 minutes for storing hydrogen atoms in a state called Plasma.

The team said their work is an important step in the search for nuclear fusion methods that could create massive amounts of clean energy in the future.

The France Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) said that the experiment – which was carried out February 12 – showed the process that the process was kept or maintained for 1,337 seconds. The CEA added that the new record was 25 percent longer than the previous one who played in China last month.

The aim of fusion research is to create the same type of nuclear reaction that occurs in the center of the sun. In a merger reaction, the centers of two atoms merge or combine to form a new atom with a heavier core or a center.

This process releases large amounts of energy. Some experts say this means that fusion could be an important source for clean, safe and almost unlimited energy in the future. However, since fusion occurs at very high temperatures, it is difficult to control.

The scientists in France used a machine called Tokamak to carry out their research. The machine is a circular ring with strong walls to resist intensive warmth. In the ring, hydrogen atoms are heated to temperatures of up to 50 million degrees Celsius. The process creates plasma, which is held together by strong magnets.

Anne-Isabelle Etienvre is the head of the CEA of fundamental Research. She told the French news agency AFP the new record for the creation of plasma shows that “we control their production, but also their maintenance”.

However, Etienvre found that there are still many “technological barriers” to overcome before fusion “can produce more energy than it consumed. “

Scientists say that hydrogen atoms have to be heated for the success of nuclear fusions up to more than 100 million degrees Celsius. With this extreme temperature, plasma can become unstable And difficult to control. This can lead to an energy loss and restrict how well a possible future core fusion reactor could work.

In the coming months, the research team will try to increase the time in which you can keep the atoms in a plasma state. They hope to bring the total time “combined for up to several hours”.

The CEA found that in future experiments, scientists also aim to heat the plasma at higher temperatures and to examine the effects of the hot plasma on their test machine.

Teams from several countries work together in the south of France to build the world's largest TKAMAK and merger research center called Iter. The efforts include scientists from the United States, China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

The teams hope that current research will be useful for future projects at Iter. However, AFP reports that repeated delays and increase costs have postponed the operations at Iter to at least 2033.

I am Andrew Smith.

Andrew Smith has adapted this story for VOA learners English based on the reporting of Agence France press.

______________________________________

Words in this story

fundamental -Adj. in relation to what is most important and supportive for things or activities

consume -V. takes in or used or used

unstable -Adj. Not safe to stick together in one place