MIT tokamak sets new fusion record

Located at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Centre, Alcator C-Mod uses a high-magnetic field approach to contain the superheated plasma required for nuclear fusion. The amount of power produced by tokamaks increases with the square of the pressure, so doubling pressure would lead to a fourfold increase in power output.

“This is a remarkable achievement that highlights the highly successful Alcator C-Mod program at MIT,” said Dale Meade, former deputy director at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, who was not directly involved in the experiments.

“The record plasma pressure validates the high-magnetic-field approach as an attractive path to practical fusion energy.”

The previous record of 1.77 atmospheres - set by Alcator C-Mod in 2005 - was eclipsed on September 30, with the MIT team achieving a plasma pressure of 2.05. The record also marked the final time the 23-year-old tokamak will operate, with the US Department of Energy (DoE) diverting funds away from the project to support the ITER fusion programme in France. ITER will be roughly 800 times the size of Alcaor C-Mod, but will operate at a lower magnetic field. The DoE expects ITER to achieve pressures of 2.6 atmospheres when fully operational in 2032.