What is it about?
In fusion reactors, magnets are used to confine an artificial star from which we can harvest abundant carbon-free energy. This article describes a device that reproduces the operating conditions of those magnets, most importantly: cryogenic temperatures, large currents, and the bombardment of energetic particle.
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Why is it important?
With this new facility, we can explore the tolerance of magnets to particle bombardment, which will inform design decisions concerning shielding materials, which affect the ultimate size and cost of fusion power plants. Getting this number right is key to maximize our chances of commercializing fusion electricity, which has many attractive features, among them: no GHG emissions, widely distributed and abundant fuel, minimal production of long lived radioactive waste, etc.
Perspectives
I hope this article motivates present and future researchers to join fusion research and help us develop the tools we need to get the right answer in the right conditions, and deliver a new clean abundant and safe form of energy that meets the qualitative and quantitative requirements of our time.
Alexis Rustam Devitre
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A facility for cryogenic ion irradiation and in situ characterization of rare-earth barium copper oxide superconducting tapes, Review of Scientific Instruments, June 2024, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0200936.
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