China’s ‘artificial sun’ sets world record in a bid for clean energy

• Gong Xianzu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Plasma Physics, made the announcement (ASIPP).

• The reactor functioned at a temperature five times higher than that of the sun.

• According to Xinhua, EAST has now achieved all three of its goals: a million-ampere current, 1,000-second duration, and a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius. According to the state-run news agency, it would now try to hit all of the targets in one go as part of the last stage.

• According to other accounts, the latest achievement indicates that the nuclear fusion reactor has been turned on.

• The reactor was built by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and is housed in Chengdu's Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP). The current experiment took place in Hefei, China's Anhui Province. China's initiative aims to revolutionise clean energy through nuclear fusion, which scientists have long believed to be achievable. The 'artificial sun' runs on hydrogen and deuterium gases to mimic nuclear fusion in the real sun. Its success opens up a slew of research opportunities, including an endless supply of renewable energy.