China has conducted yet another nuclear fusion experiment in its pursuit of creating an 'artificial sun'. On Wednesday night, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) fusion energy reactor created an artificial sun that sustained plasma for a whopping 403 seconds, breaking the 101-second record it had set in 2017.

China has conducted yet another nuclear fusion experiment in its pursuit of creating an 'artificial sun'. On Wednesday night, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) fusion energy reactor created an artificial sun that sustained plasma for a whopping 403 seconds, breaking the 101-second record it had set in 2017. According to various estimates, 300 seconds is the minimum time frame required to demonstrate steady-state operations. Keeping the figure in mind, scientists believe it is a major breakthrough. Song Yuntao, director of the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences told Chinese state media that the work by his team has laid a solid foundation to improve the technical and economic feasibility of fusion reactors. “The main significance of this new breakthrough lies in its ‘high-confinement mode’, under which the temperature and density of the plasma increase significantly,” Song told Xinhua news agency. “The record is also a big step forward for our team in terms of fundamental physics research, fusion engineering, and project operation and maintenance." ALSO READ | China conducts nuclear fusion experiment for 'artificial sun China developing next-gen 'artificial sun' Chinese scientists have been operating EAST since 2006. The reactor has completed over 120,000 experiments so far. In 2018, breaking another record, the reactor managed to contain plasma for almost 18 minutes with the temperature reaching close to 70 million degrees Celsius. However, it was a different operation mode from the one used during Wednesday's test. Having tasted success already, Beijing is looking to take another giant stride in the field. It has already completed the design of its next-generation artificial sun called Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) which will kick into operations by 2035. WATCH | Is China leading the AI race? Where does India figure in this battle for tech dominance? × Nuclear fusion vs fission Nuclear fusion is considered the holy grail of energy and it is what powers our sun. It merges atomic nuclei to create massive amounts of energy, which is the opposite of the fission process used in atomic weapons and nuclear power plants, which splits them into fragments. Moreover, unlike fission, fusion emits no greenhouse gases and carries less risk of accidents or the theft of atomic material. By mimicking the natural reaction of the sun, scientists are hoping that the technology may help humanity harness vast amounts of energy and help battle the energy crisis ALSO READ | South Korean scientists create an 'artificial sun' in pursuit of unlimited clean energy Last year, scientists working at the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) reactor also created an artificial sun that reached temperatures upward of 100 million degree Celsius for 30 seconds. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

China's 'artificial sun' breaches another frontier, sustains plasma for nearly 7 minutes

Our sun is gigantic. Compared to it, the planet earth resembles a grain! Now, China is planning to fasten the development of what it’s calling the “artificial sun”. It’s a nuclear fusion device capable of reaching 360 million degrees Fahrenheit (182 million degrees Celsius). The “artificial sun” can harness the power of 12 artificial suns, as reported by Popular Mechanics.

Why such a high temperature? It is simple - generation of energy. When the nucleuses of two or more atoms fuse, they produce energy, which can be put to different uses.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/australian-scientists-create-a-new-atlas-by-mapping-millions-of-galaxies-346609" hreflang="en">Australian scientists create 'a new atlas' by mapping millions of galaxies</a>

The device is called “HL-2M Tokamak”. It’s based on the “tokamak” reactor posited by Soviet Union officials in 1950s. It’s a shorter way of saying “toroidal magnetic confinement”.

The torus (a donut like structure) traps extremely hot plasma, and then generates chemical reactions. In the last 40-50 years, experimental tokamaks have existed across the world.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-unravel-earths-early-atmosphere-after-melting-hovering-marbles-with-lasers-345854" hreflang="en">Scientists unravel Earth's early atmosphere after melting hovering marbles with lasers</a>

Inside a tokamak, the plasma is held in place my magnetic fields. Controlling and regulating the field is extremely difficult.However, in case of an anomaly, such magnetic field turn into flaws.

Due to many such doubts about its feasibility, many had discarded the concept altogether, favouring what is called a “stellarator” - a tokamak descendent of sorts.

In 2015, the stellarator made the headlines, for it showed more stability, and less chances of unpredictability.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/artificial-intelligence-solves-50-year-old-science-problem-346585" hreflang="en">Artificial intelligence solves 50-year-old science problem</a>

It’s important to note that both the stellarator and tokamak concepts were developed during the same time period, advancing at the same pace.

The HL-2M Tokamak is officially called EAST or the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. It was first switched on in 2006, but requires way more work for it to function as intended.

In 2018, it was able to reach 180 million degrees F - which is half of what the team intends to achieve. They also believe the milestone will be achieved by the end of this year.

Our sun is gigantic. Compared to it, the planet earth resembles a grain! Now, China is planning to fasten the development of what it’s calling the “artificial sun”.

Our sun is gigantic. Compared to it, the planet earth resembles a grain! Now, China is planning to fasten the development of what it’s calling the “artificial sun”. It’s a nuclear fusion device capable of reaching 360 million degrees Fahrenheit (182 million degrees Celsius). The “artificial sun” can harness the power of 12 artificial suns, as reported by Popular Mechanics. Why such a high temperature? It is simple - generation of energy. When the nucleuses of two or more atoms fuse, they produce energy, which can be put to different uses. Also read: Australian scientists create 'a new atlas' by mapping millions of galaxies The device is called “HL-2M Tokamak”. It’s based on the “tokamak” reactor posited by Soviet Union officials in 1950s. It’s a shorter way of saying “toroidal magnetic confinement”. The torus (a donut like structure) traps extremely hot plasma, and then generates chemical reactions. In the last 40-50 years, experimental tokamaks have existed across the world. Also read: Scientists unravel Earth's early atmosphere after melting hovering marbles with lasers Inside a tokamak, the plasma is held in place my magnetic fields. Controlling and regulating the field is extremely difficult.However, in case of an anomaly, such magnetic field turn into flaws. Due to many such doubts about its feasibility, many had discarded the concept altogether, favouring what is called a “stellarator” - a tokamak descendent of sorts. In 2015, the stellarator made the headlines, for it showed more stability, and less chances of unpredictability. Also read: Artificial intelligence solves 50-year-old science problem It’s important to note that both the stellarator and tokamak concepts were developed during the same time period, advancing at the same pace. The HL-2M Tokamak is officially called EAST or the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. It was first switched on in 2006, but requires way more work for it to function as intended. In 2018, it was able to reach 180 million degrees F - which is half of what the team intends to achieve. They also believe the milestone will be achieved by the end of this year.

China is building an artificial sun called 'EAST', and it's very hot!

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China's 'artificial sun' breaches another frontier, sustains plasma for nearly 7 minutes

China is building an artificial sun called 'EAST', and it's very hot!