A chronological timeline of key milestones in the development of nuclear fusion tokamaks and stellarators, from early theoretical concepts to modern experimental devices and international projects like ITER.
Arthur Eddington suggests that nuclear fusion powers stars, laying the theoretical foundation for fusion energy. #physics #astronomy
Ernest Rutherford observes the first artificial nuclear fusion reaction by bombarding deuterium nuclei, proving fusion is possible on Earth. #physics #science
George Paget Thomson files a patent for a fusion reactor based on the toroidal pinch effect, an early concept for magnetic confinement. #fusion #innovation
Andrei Sakharov and Igor Tamm in the USSR propose the tokamak design, using a toroidal magnetic field to confine plasma. #tokamak #history
Lyman Spitzer at Princeton introduces the stellarator, an alternative magnetic confinement device using twisted coils. #stellarator #innovation
Princeton's Model A stellarator begins operation, the first experimental stellarator, though it failed to confine plasma effectively. #stellarator #experiment
The ZETA device in the UK announces production of neutrons, initially mistaken for fusion but later attributed to instabilities. #fusion #controversy )
The T-1 tokamak at the Kurchatov Institute becomes the first operational tokamak, pioneering magnetic confinement research. #tokamak #USSR )
Princeton's Model C stellarator, the largest of its time, starts experiments but struggles with plasma confinement. #stellarator #history
The Soviet T-3 tokamak reaches plasma temperatures of 1 keV (about 11 million °C), proving tokamaks superior to stellarators. #tokamak #breakthrough )
Soviet T-3 results shared at a conference spark international interest, leading to tokamak programs worldwide. #tokamak #collaboration
The Soviet T-4 tokamak achieves plasma temperatures exceeding 10 million °C, advancing fusion research. #tokamak #milestone )
The PLT tokamak at Princeton begins operation, becoming a major US fusion experiment. #tokamak #USA
The Soviet T-10 tokamak achieves high plasma parameters, contributing to tokamak physics. #tokamak #research )
The Princeton Large Torus achieves plasma temperatures of 60 million °C, a significant milestone. #tokamak #achievement
Germany's Wendelstein 7-A stellarator begins experiments, advancing stellarator physics. #stellarator #Germany
Japan's JT-60 tokamak begins operation, becoming the flagship Japanese fusion device. #tokamak #Japan
The Joint European Torus (JET) starts, becoming the largest tokamak at the time and a key step toward ITER. #tokamak #Europe
The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) begins operation, designed to achieve fusion power levels. #tokamak #USA
International collaboration initiates the ITER project to build a large-scale tokamak demonstrating sustained fusion. #ITER #international
The DIII-D tokamak at General Atomics starts, focusing on plasma shaping and advanced tokamak modes. #tokamak #USA )
France's Tore Supra, a superconducting tokamak, begins operation, pioneering long-pulse plasmas. #tokamak #superconducting
JET achieves 1.7 megawatts of fusion power in a deuterium-tritium experiment, a world record. #fusion #power
TFTR generates 10.7 MW of fusion power in a deuterium-tritium shot, setting a new record. #fusion #record
JET produces 16 MW of fusion power from a total input of 24 MW, achieving a Q value of ~0.67. #fusion #milestone
Japan's LHD, a superconducting stellarator, begins operation, advancing helical confinement research. #stellarator #Japan
Germany's ASDEX Upgrade tokamak starts, focusing on divertor and high-confinement mode studies. #tokamak #Germany
South Korea begins building KSTAR, a superconducting tokamak aimed at long-pulse operation. #tokamak #Korea
Seven partners sign the ITER agreement, and construction begins in Cadarache, France. #ITER #international
China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) achieves first plasma, advancing superconducting fusion. #tokamak #China )
South Korea's KSTAR tokamak reaches first plasma, joining superconducting fusion devices. #tokamak #Korea
Germany completes assembly of Wendelstein 7-X, the world's largest stellarator, designed for optimized plasma confinement. #stellarator #Germany
Wendelstein 7-X achieves its first plasma, a major milestone for stellarator research. #stellarator #firstplasma
Japan's JT-60SA, a superconducting tokamak, finishes upgrades as a satellite tokamak for ITER. #tokamak #Japan
KSTAR maintains a high-confinement plasma for 50 seconds, demonstrating long-pulse capability. #tokamak #record
ITER officially starts assembly of its tokamak components, marking a construction milestone. #ITER #assembly
China's EAST tokamak achieves plasma temperatures of 100 million °C sustained for over 100 seconds, a major breakthrough. #tokamak #achievement )
Wendelstein 7-X sustains a plasma for 180 seconds, setting a stellarator pulse length record. #stellarator #record
KSTAR sustains a high-confinement mode plasma for 30 seconds, advancing towards steady-state fusion. #tokamak #research
The JT-60SA tokamak in Japan achieves its first plasma, becoming the largest superconducting tokamak in operation. #tokamak #Japan
Commonwealth Fusion Systems begins building SPARC, a compact high-field tokamak aiming for net positive energy. #tokamak #innovation )
ITER announces a revised schedule, with first plasma now expected in the mid-2030s due to technical challenges. #ITER #delay
Commonwealth Fusion Systems successfully tests high-temperature superconducting magnets for SPARC, a key milestone. #tokamak #technology )
EAST sustains a plasma for over 400 seconds, setting a new world record for long-pulse operation. #tokamak #record )
Wendelstein 7-X sustains a plasma for 10 minutes, demonstrating steady-state stellarator operation. #stellarator #milestone