详细内容或原文请订阅后点击阅览
科学家可能已经同时解决了聚变能源的两个最大问题
科学家们展示了一种新的等离子体运行机制，可以帮助同时解决聚变能面临的两个最大挑战。在聚变反应堆内，物质被加热到比太阳还热的温度，并受到强大磁场的限制。但保持这种过热等离子体稳定足够长的时间以产生可用能量仍然是[...]
来源:SciTech日报科学家们展示了一种新的等离子体操作机制，可以帮助同时解决聚变能的两个最大挑战。
在聚变反应堆内，物质被加热到比太阳还热的温度，并受到强大磁场的限制。但保持这种过热等离子体足够长时间稳定以产生可用能量仍然是该领域最严峻的挑战之一。
One major problem is that the plasma edge can unleash violent bursts of energy capable of damaging reactor walls, while the exhaust system must also withstand enormous heat loads comparable to those on a spacecraft during reentry.
现在，中国的研究人员可能已经找到了同时解决这两个问题的方法。
A team led by Professor Guosheng Xu at the Institute of Plasma Physics, part of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has demonstrated a new plasma operating regime on the EAST fusion device that simultaneously reduces heat striking reactor components, suppresses damaging instabilities, and maintains strong energy confinement.这项成果在金属墙环境中持续了大约一分钟，最近发表在《物理评论快报》上。
聚变挑战：热负荷、ELM 和稳定性
聚变反应堆的工作原理是将等离子体（一种极热的带电气体）限制在磁场内。 For fusion power plants to operate continuously, they must maintain high temperatures and strong confinement while safely removing excess heat and particles from the plasma edge.
Another major issue involves edge-localized modes, or ELMs, sudden eruptions of heat and particles from the plasma edge that behave somewhat like solar flares.这些爆发在高约束等离子体或 H 模式等离子体中很常见，这种等离子体由于能够有效地捕获能量而在其他方面是理想的。长期以来，在不牺牲约束的情况下消除 ELM 一直被认为是未来聚变反应堆的一个关键障碍。