A key challenge to capturing and controlling
fusion energy on Earth is maintaining the
stability of plasma—the electrically charged
gas that fuels fusion reactions—and keeping
it millions of degrees hot to launch and maintain
fusion reactions. This challenge requires
controlling magnetic islands, bubble-like
structures that form in the plasma in doughnut-shaped
tokamak fusion facilities. These islands can
grow, cool the plasma and trigger disruptions—the
sudden release of energy stored in the plasma—that
can halt fusion reactions and seriously damage
the fusion facilities that house them. Research
by scientists at Princeton University and
at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton
Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) points toward
improved control of ...
