Scientists take milestone step toward creating an artificial Sun

A new type of magnet developed by researchers at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) at MIT may get scientists one step closer to achieving sustainable nuclear fusion.

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The creation of this new magnet has been detailed in several papers and, according to reports, will get researchers closer to unlocking the power of nuclear fusion or emulating the reaction that takes place on the Sun. If this is achieved, it would create a sustainable, limitless, clean energy source for all of humanity and remove the reliance on fossil fuels that damage the environment. While that all sounds like sunshine and rainbows, achieving nuclear fusion and maintaining the reaction long enough to harvest energy has proven extremely challenging.

Enter the new magnets. For an artificial Sun to be created, the nuclear fusion reaction needs to be held in place, and to do that, magnets are used. Unfortunately, researchers have only been able to maintain the reaction long enough to get a net energy gain or extract more energy than they are putting in to make the reaction occur. However, newly designed magnets made from rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) may be the answer, as they come with many advantages compared to the magnets currently being used.

According to the team the REBCO magnets went through extensive testing to reach the final design, which comes with advantages such as not requiring as much insulation, enabling greater conductivity, and the option to add cooling/strength structures.

The team behind the magnets now believe they are ready to be used in a real fusion reactor, and according to reports, they are headed for the SPARC fusion reactor for Commonwealth Fusion Systems in Devens, Massachusetts.