Experimental fusion facilities leveraging rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) superconducting magnets have maintained stable plasma confinement exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius for more than six minutes. The result marks a critical step toward net energy output.
Engineering Hurdles
Despite plasma stability, thermal management of tokamak divertors remains a technical challenge. Engineers are testing liquid metal wall cooling systems to handle power fluxes exceeding 10 megawatts per square meter.