The full superconducting Tokamak nuclear fusion experimental device (EAST), known as China's "artificial sun", set a new world record here on the 20th - completing "high-quality plasma operation" of 1066 seconds at 100 million degrees Celsius for the first time. This is a big step taken by Chinese research teams towards the future of fusion power generation, and also a big step taken by humanity towards a clean energy future. The steady-state long pulse high confinement mode plasma operation at 100 million degrees Celsius for 1000 seconds constitutes a milestone threshold in fusion research. The significance of "1000 seconds" lies in the fact that the long pulse high confinement mode reaches 1000 seconds, fully verifying the system integration capability of the fusion device and the steady-state operation of high parameter plasma. This is the foundation for continuous power generation in future fusion reactors. The new record was set by the scientific research team of the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences, which is more than 600 seconds more than the world record they set in 2023, namely, 403 seconds of stable high constraint mode plasma operation. The new record of China's "man-made sun" not only ignited a sleepless night on the Science Island, but also ignited the international fusion research community. EAST is called the "artificial sun" because it has a nuclear fusion reaction mechanism similar to that of the sun. Including the Chinese team, the world regards "artificial sun" as one of the "ultimate answers" to solving human energy problems. Due to the abundance of raw materials for nuclear fusion on Earth and their pollution-free emissions, if a controllable nuclear fusion reaction can be used to create a "sun" on Earth, humanity would be like having an inexhaustible and pollution-free power plant, thus achieving clean water, blue sky, and sustainable energy. The imaginative space opened up by nuclear fusion is far more than just "power generation". In many science fiction novels and movies around the world, nuclear fusion spacecraft frequently appear and become a powerful tool for space travel. In reality, scientists told reporters that nuclear fusion spacecraft is not a fantasy, and it is indeed possible for humans to use nuclear energy, an efficient energy source, to fly out of the solar system and become a true space civilization in the future. For the dream of fusion energy, scientists around the world have been working hard for over 70 years. However, currently, there is still a certain distance left for global nuclear fusion experimental devices to truly achieve power generation. The main challenges they face include the need to be able to reach temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees, operate stably for a long time, and have controllability. This is also the direction that EAST is constantly accelerating towards. A fusion device needs to achieve stability and reliability on the order of thousands of seconds, ensuring the steady-state operation of long pulse plasma, in order for future fusion power plants to continuously generate electricity Song Yuntao, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences and Director of the Institute of Plasma Physics, said. He said that achieving a high confinement mode of 100 million degrees and 1000 seconds has taken a big step forward in the research and development of fusion energy. Behind the crossing of experimental parameters lies a leap in fundamental research and engineering technology. There are over 200 core technologies and more than 2000 patents on China's EAST equipment, bringing together cutting-edge technologies such as "ultra-high temperature", "ultra-low temperature", "ultra-high vacuum", "ultra strong magnetic field", and "ultra high current" in one furnace. Since the establishment and operation of EAST in 2006, more than 20 rounds of physical experiments have been conducted, and the number of plasma runs has exceeded 150000 times. China's further achievements towards the 'ultimate energy dream' will also benefit the world. In 2006, China officially became a participant in the world's largest "artificial sun" International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). In this international scientific engineering program, which is regarded as the common "planting of the sun" among countries around the world, the Plasma Institute is one of the main units responsible for the Chinese mission. For a long time, the EAST team has been internationally leading in research fields such as first wall materials through an open and shared organizational management model, providing an experimental platform for long pulse steady-state high-temperature plasma operation for ITER. It has always been a favored partner for collaboration between ITER and fusion experts from multiple countries. At the beginning of 2024, more than a hundred Chinese and foreign scientists, including the head of the ITER experimental operation department, conducted a joint physics experiment at EAST to "sample" the future operation of ITER, demonstrate and overcome relevant technical difficulties in advance. Song Yuntao introduced that the Institute of Plasma has established stable exchange and cooperation relationships with over 120 research institutions in more than 50 countries around the world, and has also assisted in the construction of related disciplines and experimental facilities in emerging countries such as Southeast Asia, West Asia, South America, and North Africa for nuclear fusion. In the past few years, EAST has continuously achieved major breakthroughs in long pulse high confinement mode operation, such as 60 seconds, 100 seconds, and 403 seconds. This has enabled China to rank among the world's top in the field of nuclear fusion research and provided important references for the construction of fusion reactors worldwide. The high confinement plasma operation mode used in this record breaking EAST has high efficiency and strong economy, which is also the basic mode for the steady-state operation of future fusion experimental and engineering reactors such as ITER and China Fusion Engineering Experimental Reactor (CFETR). I hope to expand international cooperation through EAST and achieve the use of nuclear fusion energy for humanity as soon as possible Song Yuntao said. It is reported that the engineering design of the next generation "artificial sun" Chinese fusion engineering experimental reactor has been completed in Hefei, Anhui Province, where EAST is located. According to China's roadmap for magnetic confinement nuclear fusion, the goal is to build the world's first fusion demonstration power plant in the future. (New Society)