Plasma physicists operating the upgraded modular stellarator facility in northern Germany announced a record-breaking twenty-two minute steady-state plasma confinement run on Monday, surpassing previous magnetic containment duration thresholds.
High-Temperature Superconductors
The achievement was enabled by the installation of rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) superconducting magnet coils. These magnets operate at higher temperatures than liquid-helium-cooled alloys, producing sustained magnetic fields exceeding fifteen tesla without quenching risks.
Diagnostic sensor arrays registered uniform heat distribution across the chamber's water-cooled tungsten divertor tiles. Plasma turbulence along the core boundary remained within predictable computer modeling envelopes throughout the run.
Tritium Regeneration Validation
In addition to confinement stability, neutron sensors confirmed that test sections of lithium-lead breeder blankets achieved expected capture rates. Sustaining tritium breeding within the reactor chamber is essential for fueling future commercial reactors without external isotope purchases.
The engineering team plans to conduct ninety-minute continuous discharge tests in early spring to test divertor erosion thresholds under full power conditions.
