France Sets New Record in Hunt for Nuclear Fusion
2025-02-25
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1French scientists have announced they set a new record of 22 minutes for keeping hydrogen atoms in a state called plasma.
2The team said their work marks an important step in the search for nuclear fusion methods that could produce massive amounts of clean energy in the future.
3France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) said the experiment - carried out February 12 - showed the process kept, or maintained, a state of plasma for 1,337 seconds.
4The CEA added that the new record was 25 percent longer than the previous one, set in China last month.
5The aim of fusion research is to create the same kind of nuclear reaction that happens in the center of the sun.
6In a fusion reaction, the centers of two atoms fuse, or join together, to form a new atom with a heavier nucleus, or center.
7This process releases large amounts of energy.
8Some experts say this means fusion could be a major source of clean, safe, and almost limitless energy in the future.
9However, because fusion happens at very high temperatures, it is difficult to control.
10The scientists in France used a machine called a tokamak to do their research.
11The machine is a circular ring with strong walls to resist intense heat.
12Inside the ring, hydrogen atoms are heated to temperatures up to about 50 million degrees Celsius.
13The process creates plasma that is held together by powerful magnets.
14Anne-Isabelle Etienvre is the CEA's head of fundamental research.
15She told the French news agency AFP the new record for making plasma shows "that we control its production, but also its maintenance."
16However, Etienvre noted that there are still many "technological barriers" to overcome before fusion can "produce more energy than it consumes."
17Scientists say that for nuclear fusion to succeed, hydrogen atoms will need to be heated up to more than 100 million degrees Celsius.
18At this extreme temperature, plasma can become unstable and difficult to control.
19This can lead to energy loss and limit how well a possible future nuclear fusion reactor could work.
20In the coming months, the research team will look to increase the time they can keep the atoms in a plasma state.
21They hope to bring the total time "up to several hours combined."
22The CEA noted that in future experiments, scientists will also aim to heat the plasma to higher temperatures and examine the effects the hot plasma has on their testing machine.
23Teams from multiple countries are working together in southern France to build the world's largest tokamak and fusion research center, called ITER.
24The effort includes scientists from the United States, China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.
25The teams hope the current research on maintaining plasma will be useful for future projects at ITER.
26However, AFP reports that repeated delays and increasing costs have postponed operations at ITER until at least 2033.
27I'm Andrew Smith.
1French scientists have announced they set a new record of 22 minutes for keeping hydrogen atoms in a state called plasma. 2The team said their work marks an important step in the search for nuclear fusion methods that could produce massive amounts of clean energy in the future. 3France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) said the experiment - carried out February 12 - showed the process kept, or maintained, a state of plasma for 1,337 seconds. The CEA added that the new record was 25 percent longer than the previous one, set in China last month. 4The aim of fusion research is to create the same kind of nuclear reaction that happens in the center of the sun. In a fusion reaction, the centers of two atoms fuse, or join together, to form a new atom with a heavier nucleus, or center. 5This process releases large amounts of energy. Some experts say this means fusion could be a major source of clean, safe, and almost limitless energy in the future. However, because fusion happens at very high temperatures, it is difficult to control. 6The scientists in France used a machine called a tokamak to do their research. The machine is a circular ring with strong walls to resist intense heat. Inside the ring, hydrogen atoms are heated to temperatures up to about 50 million degrees Celsius. The process creates plasma that is held together by powerful magnets. 7Anne-Isabelle Etienvre is the CEA's head of fundamental research. She told the French news agency AFP the new record for making plasma shows "that we control its production, but also its maintenance." 8However, Etienvre noted that there are still many "technological barriers" to overcome before fusion can "produce more energy than it consumes." 9Scientists say that for nuclear fusion to succeed, hydrogen atoms will need to be heated up to more than 100 million degrees Celsius. At this extreme temperature, plasma can become unstable and difficult to control. This can lead to energy loss and limit how well a possible future nuclear fusion reactor could work. 10In the coming months, the research team will look to increase the time they can keep the atoms in a plasma state. They hope to bring the total time "up to several hours combined." 11The CEA noted that in future experiments, scientists will also aim to heat the plasma to higher temperatures and examine the effects the hot plasma has on their testing machine. 12Teams from multiple countries are working together in southern France to build the world's largest tokamak and fusion research center, called ITER. The effort includes scientists from the United States, China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, and Russia. 13The teams hope the current research on maintaining plasma will be useful for future projects at ITER. However, AFP reports that repeated delays and increasing costs have postponed operations at ITER until at least 2033. 14I'm Andrew Smith. 15Andrew Smith adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from Agence France-Presse. 16_______________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18fundamental -adj. relating to what is most important and supportive for things or activities 19consume -v. takes in or uses 20unstable -adj. not secure, difficult to keep together in one place