--- title: "Scientists Discovered a New Way to Stabilize Fusion Reactions" description: "Researchers from Princeton University and the Department of Energy say they've discovered a new way to stabilize super-heated plasma in fusion reactions." date: "2019-01-10" modified: "2019-01-10" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fusion-reactions-stabilize" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "fusion" - "ITER" - "Plasma" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Discovered a New Way to Stabilize Fusion Reactions ![Researchers from Princeton University and the Department of Energy say they've discovered a new way to stabilize super-heated plasma in fusion reactions.]() *\Image: Bob Mumgaard\* ## Fusion Reactions Nuclear fusion, the reaction that powers stars like our Sun, could be a source of nearly unlimited electricity. But before that can happen, scientists need to find a way to stabilize super-heated plasma in fusion reactions. Now, researchers from Princeton University and the Department of Energy (DOE) [think they've figured it out]() — and the technique could prove useful for an experimental European reactor scheduled to go online in 2025. ## Magnetic Islands The work, described in a [new paper]() published in the journal *Physical Review Letters,* deals with a type of structure in plasma that researchers call a "magnetic island." Magnetic islands can cause complex plasma disruptions capable of shutting down fusion experiments and even damaging reactors. The researchers found that by bombarding plasma with radio-frequency waves while creating small fluctuations in its temperature, they could stabilize the material and prevent the dangerous magnetic islands from forming. ## ITER Saw The Princeton and DOE researchers believe the new work could be useful at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a huge international project that fusion researchers hope will pave the way for [practical fusion power]() when it goes online in about five years. "There is worry about islands getting large and causing disruptions in ITER," Allan Reiman, a Princeton researcher who worked on the new stabilization project, said in a statement. "Taken together, these new effects should make it easier to stabilize ITER plasmas." **READ MORE:** [Scientists Discover a Process That Stabilizes Fusion Plasmas]() \[*Science Daily*\] ***More on fusion:*** [*This Super Powerful Magnetic Field Puts Us One Step Closer to Nuclear Fusion*]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()