US Contains Plasma in World’s Strongest Magnetic Mirror

The University of Wisconsin has just taken the first step toward creating clean, carbon-free energy through low-cost nuclear fusion: created plasma with an incredibly strong magnetic field in a compact device.

The first WHAM plasma

Over the past four years, a team of physicists and engineers from University of Wisconsin In Madison, they are developing a thermonuclear power device known as WHAM (Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror).

On July 15, the WHAM team succeeded in creating and maintaining hydrogen plasma using the strongest magnetic field ever used in a device of this type.

Using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets, WHAM has created Magnetic field 17 Teslawhose intensity is twice that of MRI scanners, setting a new record for plasma retention.

Trapped in a Magnetic Mirror

While remaining a practical experiment for undergraduate and graduate students, WHAM is capable of hold charged particles plasma using a concept called a “magnetic mirror.” This method was developed in the 1980s, but technological limitations at the time prevented the plasma from being controlled inside the device.

The WHAM experiment revived this concept thanks to advances in superconducting technology, especially the development of high-temperature superconductor magnets.

Magnetic mirror uses two powerful magnets on each end cylindrical chamber. These magnets compress the plasma and cause hydrogen ions to bounce back and forth, increasing the chances that fusion reactions will occur when the ions collide.

New Opportunities for Commercial Mergers

WHAM operates as a public-private partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Realta Fusion, a company founded to commercialize magnetic mirror fusion. The project has received significant investment, including more than $10 million from Ministry of Energy from the United States.

Its success could pave the way for more compact and potentially less expensive fusion systems capable of producing carbon-free heat and electricity.

Many issues to be resolved

However, there are still many challenges to prove that this is a viable technology. The WHAM team is currently focused on solve the problem of plasma stabilityits long-term retention and the overall effectiveness of the device.

The upcoming discoveries will be crucial to determining the viability of nuclear fusion as a practical energy source. The potential is enormous for both energy production and climate change mitigation.

Image | University of Wisconsin-Madison

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