Universities oscillate $725,000

Lancaster University has been awarded £450,000 ($725,000) by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for its work around producing terahertz signals which could monitor turbulence in nuclear fusion reactors. The work is being conducted with the support of researchers at Leeds University, University of California, Davis, and Beijing Vacuum Electronics Research Institute.

The researchers will be using the money to build a compact and cost-effective terahertz vacuum electron device. The device, which can detect unwanted plasma turbulence, will be fitted at the US National Spherical Torus Experiment test facility. If it proves successful, the researchers plan to commercialise the technology from there.

Unwanted plasma turbulence can slow down a fusion reaction or halting it completely, leading to power loss or even potential release of hazardous materials. Terahertz radiation can observe plasma without impacting on its behaviour.

Nuclear fusion releases energy by fusing two atoms together into a larger one, as opposed to the currently common nuclear fission which releases energy by splitting large atoms into smaller ones. Nuclear fusion occurs naturally in stars, and produces little radioactive by-product. Fusion also produces three to four times more energy, but the technology is still experimental as it requires temperatures in excess of 100 million degrees celsius and a magnetic containment field.

Claudio Paoloni, professor of electronics at Lancaster University, said: “The device developed by this project will result in a novel plasma diagnostic system which is fundamental for the future development of nuclear fusion reactors, potentially leading to a breakthrough in nuclear fusion techniques.”