A fusion reactor at MIT that has repeatedly set world records over its 23-year lifespan broke one more the day before it was shuttered due to defunding by the federal government.

MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) announced it achieved 2.05 atmospheres of pressure in its tokamak-type (doughnut-shaped) nuclear fusion device — the Alcator C-Mod, or ARC. Pressure, which contains and concentrates superheated plasma, is key to creating a fusion device that is self-sustaining.

alcator c mod fusion reactor MIT

A look at the exterior of MIT’s C-Mod nuclear fusion device. The C-Mod project paved the way for a conceptual ARC prototype reactor.

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Source: COMPUTER WORLD