On January 14, 2025, exciting news came from Hefei, Anhui Province. The national major scientific and technological infrastructure "Fusion Reactor Host Key System" located here has made significant breakthroughs, and its key subsystem "Polarizer Plasma and Material Interaction Research Platform" has successfully completed testing. The key facility of the platform, the superconducting linear plasma device "Chixiao", has been fully built and put into operation.
According to on-site testing by an expert group, the maximum particle flow of the "Chixiao" device is greater than 10 ^ 24 power per square meter per second, with a single discharge time exceeding 1000 seconds and a maximum central magnetic field exceeding 3 Tesla. It is currently the highest comprehensive parameter level linear plasma device internationally.
As the most demanding component in the internal service environment of future fusion reactor hosts, the performance evolution of the material of the divertor under plasma bombardment is related to the safe operation of the fusion reactor. The superconducting linear plasma device "Chixiao" can stably and continuously generate high-density plasma, significantly improving the testing efficiency of polarizer materials. Based on this device, researchers can simulate the harsh environment and extreme conditions of fusion reactor filters, conduct in-depth research on the performance of materials in high heat flux and strong particle flow synergistic environments, and provide key and reliable data support for the selection of materials and component optimization in future fusion reactors.
The successful operation of the "Chixiao" device not only provides strong support for China's research on the next generation of "artificial sun" Chinese fusion engineering experimental reactor, but also provides a first-class research platform for related fields such as materials science and plasma physics at home and abroad. It also makes China the second country in the world after the Netherlands to have such a device. This breakthrough marks a solid step forward in China's research in the field of controllable nuclear fusion, occupying an important position in the global competition for nuclear fusion research and bringing brighter prospects for realizing the dream of controllable nuclear fusion power generation in the future.
The unremitting efforts and continuous innovation of Chinese researchers in the field of nuclear fusion over the years are constantly driving progress in this cutting-edge technological field. I believe that in the near future, China will achieve even more brilliant achievements in the research and application of controllable nuclear fusion, making great contributions to solving global energy problems.
