China’s “artificial sun” has shattered a major fusion barrier. (Live Science)
The EAST reactor successfully maintained stable plasma at 1.3 to 1.65X the Greenwald Limit—a threshold that typically causes fusion reactions to collapse—effectively proving the existence of a theoretical “density-free regime.”
Why it matters: By validating the “plasma-wall self-organization” theory, this achievement provides a roadmap for next-gen reactors to achieve higher efficiency and eventual “ignition,” where the fusion process becomes self-sustaining.