00:00South Korean scientists have taken a major step in the search for nuclear fusion.
00:03The Korean artificial sun, KASTAR, recorded a plasma operation at a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius for 48 seconds.
00:10This exceeds the previous record of 31 seconds and is a major step towards the exploitation of the almost unlimited potential of nuclear fusion's own energy.
00:18Nuclear fusion occurs when the nuclei of two light atoms fuse to form only one, heavier, thus generating a huge energy release.
00:24This phenomenon feeds the stars, including the sun, which is why KASTAR has been nicknamed the artificial sun.
00:29However, making fusion on Earth is extremely difficult.
00:32This requires recreating the extreme conditions of temperature and pressure found in the stars.
00:36KASTAR serves as a pilot for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, ITER, based in the southeast of France.
00:42South Korean scientists aim to maintain 100 million degrees Celsius for 300 seconds by 2026.
00:47Research into nuclear fusion focuses mainly on tokamaks, superconductors in the form of baths,
00:52using powerful magnetic fields to confine and control overheated plasma.
00:56Plasma is formed when the gas becomes so hot that the electrons separate from the atoms.
01:00This is essential for the process of fusion.
01:02To succeed in nuclear fusion, the plasma must heat up to 100 million degrees Celsius, which is 6 times the temperature of the solar nucleus.
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