Fusion Revolution in Canada: LM26 Reactor Heats Plasma to 8 Million Degrees

Canada's General Fusion company has announced a significant technological achievement during tests conducted on its Lawson Machine 26 (LM26) device. Researchers succeeded in increasing the electron plasma temperature more than threefold using a mechanical compression method. This achievement brings humanity one step closer to the goal of obtaining infinite and clean energy through controlled nuclear fusion. This is reported by Ixbt.com news reports.

According to company data, the plasma temperature during the experiment reached approximately 0.72 keV, which corresponds to nearly 8.4 million degrees Celsius. This result is considered a major leap for the LM26 device. This device was created to demonstrate an approach called Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF), which differs fundamentally from traditional fusion schemes.

The uniqueness of MTF technology

Usually, huge magnetic fields (tokamaks) or powerful laser devices (such as the National Ignition Facility) are used for nuclear fusion. However, General Fusion engineers are taking a different path: they mechanically compress the plasma using a shell consisting of liquid lithium. Although this method is technically much more complex, it is expected to allow the creation of more compact and cheaper reactors in the future.

During the experiment, not only an increase in temperature but also a tenfold increase in plasma density was recorded. Additionally, the strength of the poloidal magnetic field increased significantly. Researchers noted that the compression process was stable and the contamination of the plasma by the lithium shell was kept to a minimum. This is a critical indicator for such devices, as foreign substances can quench the reaction.

The plasma temperature was measured simultaneously using several methods, including Thomson scattering and extreme ultraviolet radiation analysis. Additionally, an increase in the neutron flux was observed during compression, which may indicate that some fusion reactions are occurring inside the device.

Future plans and challenges

It should be noted that General Fusion has not yet achieved a positive energy balance. That is, the amount of energy spent to conduct the experiment is greater than the energy obtained from it. Furthermore, these results have not yet undergone full independent scientific expertise and are currently in the peer-review stage.

The project team aims to increase the plasma temperature to 1 keV (approximately 10 million degrees) in the next stage, and then to 10 keV. In the long term, the company intends to reach the Lawson criterion. If this condition is met, nuclear fusion will become stable and energetically beneficial, which could cause a real revolution in the global energy market.