Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
🥵 Located at UKAEA’s Culham Campus, MAST (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) Upgrade is the UK's flagship fusion machine, creating plasma reaching 30 million degrees Celcius!
In a major breakthrough for fusion energy research, scientists at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) used magnetic coils to apply a 3D magnetic field and stabilise instabilities in a spherical tokamak plasma for the first time. This achievement marked a significant step forward in the development of sustainable fusion energy within spherical tokamaks.
To achieve fusion using Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) Upgrade, fusion fuel needs to be confined at high temperature within the tokamak to create a plasma.
If the plasma current, pressure or density is too high, the plasma can become unstable, reducing performance or risking damage to tokamak components. Maintaining plasma stability is one of fusion’s key challenges.
Edge Localised Modes (ELMs) are instabilities that occur at the edge of a plasma and could pose a serious challenge to the inner components of a future fusion power plant. Using Resonant Magnetic Perturbation (RMP) coils - which apply a small 3D magnetic field at the plasma edge - UKAEA researchers demonstrated complete suppression of ELMs within the MAST Upgrade machine. The first time such suppression has been evidenced in a spherical tokamak.
MAST Upgrade, the largest spherical tokamak operating in the world, is designed in the shape of a cored apple, in contrast to other ring-shaped tokamaks.
In time, these results will directly inform the design of ELM control systems for the UK’s STEP programme. In addition, they will also help to eliminate ELMs as a barrier to commercial fusion viability.
To keep up-to-date with all-things fusion, follow @ukaeaofficial on @youtube
#breakthrough #science #energy #technology #engineering
🥵 Located at UKAEA’s Culham Campus, MAST (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) Upgrade is the UK's flagship fusion machine, creating plasma reaching 30 million degrees Celcius!
In a major breakthrough for fusion energy research, scientists at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) used magnetic coils to apply a 3D magnetic field and stabilise instabilities in a spherical tokamak plasma for the first time. This achievement marked a significant step forward in the development of sustainable fusion energy within spherical tokamaks.
To achieve fusion using Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) Upgrade, fusion fuel needs to be confined at high temperature within the tokamak to create a plasma.
If the plasma current, pressure or density is too high, the plasma can become unstable, reducing performance or risking damage to tokamak components. Maintaining plasma stability is one of fusion’s key challenges.
Edge Localised Modes (ELMs) are instabilities that occur at the edge of a plasma and could pose a serious challenge to the inner components of a future fusion power plant. Using Resonant Magnetic Perturbation (RMP) coils - which apply a small 3D magnetic field at the plasma edge - UKAEA researchers demonstrated complete suppression of ELMs within the MAST Upgrade machine. The first time such suppression has been evidenced in a spherical tokamak.
MAST Upgrade, the largest spherical tokamak operating in the world, is designed in the shape of a cored apple, in contrast to other ring-shaped tokamaks.
In time, these results will directly inform the design of ELM control systems for the UK’s STEP programme. In addition, they will also help to eliminate ELMs as a barrier to commercial fusion viability.
To keep up-to-date with all-things fusion, follow @ukaeaofficial on @youtube
#breakthrough #science #energy #technology #engineering
