Breaking Boundaries: General Atomics Surpasses Fusion Limit in Groundbreaking Experiment

The race towards sustainable fusion energy just hit a major milestone thanks to General Atomics’ latest breakthrough. In a groundbreaking experiment published in Nature, researchers have shattered conventional wisdom by stabilizing plasma densities a staggering 20% beyond the Greenwald limit — a pivotal achievement in controlled fusion energy.

Understanding the significance of this feat requires grasping the challenge posed by the Greenwald limit in fusion reactors. Traditionally, this limit has set the maximum density at which plasma can operate without triggering a catastrophic disruption. Surpassing this boundary was previously deemed a risky proposition for reactor stability.

So, how did General Atomics defy the odds? Using a relatively compact 1.6-meter-radius tokamak reactor, the team empirically tested new operational conditions, sustaining higher plasma densities for an impressive 2.2-second duration. This breakthrough challenges previous notions of the Greenwald limit and unlocks fresh possibilities for future reactor design and operation.

The implications of this achievement cannot be overstated. By ramping up plasma density, the likelihood of energy losses from escaped particles diminishes significantly, crucial for sustaining fusion…