This was a plasma physics experiment to prove continous operation. Apparently going from 8 min to much larger timespans is less of a leap now.
Next stop in research: divertor design. Right now the divertor is still a challenge, as it heats up too much when the plasma gets hotter. You can see it in the video, the area that gets really bright in IR.
After the divertor is figured out, the blanket comes next. Neutron embrittlement of the structure is another issue. So power generation is still way out there.
Still, a great day for plasma physicists over the world. Decades of hard work went into this. Congrats!
Next stop in research: divertor design. Right now the divertor is still a challenge, as it heats up too much when the plasma gets hotter. You can see it in the video, the area that gets really bright in IR.
After the divertor is figured out, the blanket comes next. Neutron embrittlement of the structure is another issue. So power generation is still way out there.
Still, a great day for plasma physicists over the world. Decades of hard work went into this. Congrats!