China's "artificial sun" makes another breakthrough! Terahertz technology contributes to the energy revolution

On March 9, 2025, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, announced that the core subsystem of China’s next-generation “artificial sun” – the comprehensive research facility for key systems of fusion reactor main units, namely the “One-Eighth Vacuum Chamber and Overall Installation System”, had passed the expert group acceptance. Its research and development level and operational capacity have reached the international advanced level. This breakthrough marks a new stage in China’s technological reserves in the field of controllable nuclear fusion, laying a crucial foundation for the future realization of fusion power generation.
The vacuum chamber is the core safety barrier of nuclear fusion devices. It needs to withstand the extreme environment of plasma at temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees and provide protection for superconducting magnets. The main platform of the vacuum chamber inspected this time is shaped like a giant “orange segment”, adopts a double-layer shell structure with a D-shaped cross-section, has a total height of 20 meters, a shell thickness of 50 millimeters, and weighs 295 tons. In the future, eight such modules will be combined into a complete annular vacuum chamber, becoming the “combustion furnace” of the next-generation “artificial sun”.

In the complex system of nuclear fusion devices, high-precision control technology is of vital importance. Terahertz technology, with its characteristics of high frequency, non-invasiveness, and high spatiotemporal resolution, has become an indispensable tool for plasma diagnosis in nuclear fusion. It not only overcomes the limitations of traditional methods but also provides key data support for the realization of controllable nuclear fusion, making it an important technical approach for the current fusion energy research to move towards commercialization.

The series of terahertz solid-state frequency sources of Chengdu Taibolai Technology Co., Ltd. cover the range of 0.1THz to 1THz. Their stable performance can be used for real-time monitoring of plasma density and temperature, ensuring the stable operation of the device under extreme conditions, thereby providing data support for the stable operation of controllable fusion devices.

With the acceptance of the vacuum chamber system, China is moving towards “energy freedom” with solid scientific research steps. The breakthrough of nuclear fusion technology is not only the dream of scientists, but also the hope for the sustainable development of all mankind. In the future, with the in-depth integration of cutting-edge technologies such as terahertz, this energy revolution will burst forth with more possibilities!

References：

中国科学院等离子体物理研究所 (cas.cn)

视频号：中科院等离子体所