South Korean scientists create “Artificial Sun” to get unlimited clean energy: Report

Scientists from South Korea have discovered an artificial source to get clean nuclear energy. The physicists from Seoul National University and the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy have created an ‘artificial sun’ at the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) reactor.

According to a report in New Your Post, this major invention represents a significant advancement in their study. According to the researchers the KSTAR reactor reached temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius for about 30 seconds for the very first time, the outlet further said.

An YouTube page named Science Alert posted a video of the KSTAR heating up to the extreme temperatures on Friday.

Take a look:

“Ion temperature shown in color over a period of 24 seconds, achieved by the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR),” reads the caption of the post.

According to the details shared on the post, charge-exchange spectroscopy, ECE, TS and Mirnov coil signals are transformed into audible sound, so that one can diagnose the plasma through the sound.

By copying the natural reaction of the sun, scientists are hoping to discover new technologies that may help humanity make use of vast amounts of energy and restore its scarcity.

Yoo Suk-jae, president, Korea Institute of Fusion Energy said, “We usually say that fusion energy is a dream energy source – it is almost limitless, with low emission of greenhouse gases and no high-level radioactive waste – [but the latest breakthrough] means fusion is not a dream.”

It is to be noted that, unlike fission, fusion produces no greenhouse gases and involves less risk of accidents or theft of atomic material. Hence, the scientists at KSTAR have already started working on the project to reach yet another milestone.

The temperature of the centre of the actual sun reaches up to 15 million degrees.

When stars bond through atomic nuclei it self-heats in a plasma state. This reaction is called Nuclear Fusion. The NY Post stated that the study, which tries to duplicate the natural processes of the sun, is regarded as a milestone in this field.

Reportedly, the South Korean researchers want to sustain plasma temperatures to its original 100 million degrees Celcius for 50 second by the end of the year. However, by 2026, they intend to maintain the same temperature for about 300 seconds.