China’s EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) fusion reactor surpassed the Greenwald density limit, a key barrier in nuclear fusion research.
Nuclear fusion produces energy by fusing hydrogen nuclei into helium, similar to the Sun’s process.
The Greenwald density limit defines the maximum plasma density a tokamak reactor can safely sustain.
China’s EAST reactor achieved a plasma density about 65% higher than the Greenwald limit.
A tokamak is a doughnut-shaped magnetic device used to confine superheated plasma.
The breakthrough was enabled using Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) and lithium-coated tungsten walls.
The achievement has implications for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), a global fusion project with India as a partner.