VOA新闻杂志2025--France Sets New Record in Hunt for Nuclear Fusion

French scientists have announced they set a new record of 22 minutes for keeping hydrogen atoms in a state called plasma¹.

The team said their work marks an important step in the search for nuclear fusion² methods that could produce massive amounts of clean energy in the future.

France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) said the experiment - carried out February 12 - showed the process kept, or maintained, a state of plasma for 1,337 seconds. The CEA added that the new record was 25 percent longer than the previous one, set in China last month.

The aim of fusion research is to create the same kind of nuclear reaction that happens in the center of the sun. In a fusion reaction, the centers of two atoms fuse, or join together, to form a new atom with a heavier nucleus³, or center.

This process releases large amounts of energy. Some experts say this means fusion could be a major source of clean, safe, and almost limitless energy in the future. However, because fusion happens at very high temperatures, it is difficult to control.

The scientists in France used a machine called a tokamak to do their research. The machine is a circular ring with strong walls to resist intense heat. Inside the ring, hydrogen atoms are heated to temperatures up to about 50 million degrees Celsius⁴. The process creates plasma that is held together by powerful magnets.

Anne-Isabelle Etienvre is the CEA's head of fundamental research. She told the French news agency AFP the new record for making plasma shows "that we control its production, but also its maintenance."

However, Etienvre noted⁵ that there are still many "technological⁶ barriers" to overcome before fusion can "produce more energy than it consumes."

Scientists say that for nuclear fusion to succeed, hydrogen atoms will need to be heated up to more than 100 million degrees Celsius. At this extreme temperature, plasma can become unstable⁷ and difficult to control. This can lead to energy loss and limit how well a possible future nuclear fusion reactor⁸ could work.

In the coming months, the research team will look to increase the time they can keep the atoms in a plasma state. They hope to bring the total time "up to several hours combined."

The CEA noted that in future experiments, scientists will also aim to heat the plasma to higher temperatures and examine the effects the hot plasma has on their testing machine.

Teams from multiple countries are working together in southern France to build the world's largest tokamak and fusion research center, called ITER. The effort includes scientists from the United States, China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.

The teams hope the current research on maintaining plasma will be useful for future projects at ITER. However, AFP reports that repeated delays and increasing costs have postponed⁹ operations at ITER until at least 2033.

I'm Andrew Smith.

Andrew Smith adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from Agence France-Presse.

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Words in This Story

fundamental -adj. relating to what is most important and supportive for things or activities

consume -v. takes in or uses

unstable -adj. not secure, difficult to keep together in one place

1 plasma   

n.血浆，细胞质，乳清

参考例句：

• Keep some blood plasma back for the serious cases.留一些血浆给重病号。
• The plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is free of cells .血浆是血液的液体部分，不包含各种细胞。

2 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

3 nucleus   

n.核，核心，原子核

参考例句：

• These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
• These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。

4 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

7 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

8 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

9 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。