Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Thales and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics set a world record in the field of nuclear fusion

24/10/2024

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Developed in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics specifically for the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator1, Thales's TH1507U gyrotron has achieved a significant milestone by reaching a total output of 1.3 megawatts in radiofrequency at a frequency of 140 gigahertz for 360 seconds.

Thaless gyrotron plays a crucial role in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator project by providing heating and stabilization of the plasma, which are essential for reaching the temperatures required for magnetic confinement nuclear fusion.

The Wendelstein 7-X project not only aims to enhance the fundamental understanding of plasmas, but also to contribute to the development of commercial fusion reactors, thereby providing a pathway to a clean and sustainable energy source.

View into the plasma vessel of Wendelstein 7 - X (November 2021)

MPI for Plasma Physics, Jan Michael Hosan To achieve nuclear fusion, a process in which two light nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus that releases massive energy, the magnetic confinement process requires heating a gas to create a plasma, which is then confined by a powerful magnetic field.

Thales, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of plasma heating systems, is the only European manufacturer of Gyrotron electronic tubes. These high-power vacuum tubes are used to heat plasma to temperatures ten times greater than that of the suns core. This equipment is essential for initiating nuclear fusion reactions through magnetic confinement. It was developed in collaboration with the European GYrotron Consortium (EGYC)2, which aims to create an, autonomous European source of highly reliable gyrotrons. Operating at a strategic nominal frequency of 140 gigahertz (GHz), theses reactors can also adapt to other frequencies.

Wendelstein 7-X, the worlds largest stellarator, is a cutting-edge research center for the study of nuclear fusion by magnetic confinement, inaugurated in 2015. Located in Germany, its activities focus on exploring and optimizing plasmas, which can reach temperatures of several million degrees Celsius, in a stable and controlled state. In September 2024, Wendelstein 7-X launched its experimental campaign.

The world record set by our Gyrotron marks a significant milestone in the race for fusion and illustrates our commitment to technological innovation and excellence. This technological breakthrough positions Thales at the forefront of high-power plasma heating solutions, essential for addressing the energy challenges of tomorrow. said Charles-Antoine Goffin, Vice President of Microwave & Imaging Sub-Systems at Thales.

Nuclear fusion is considered an opportunity to create a clean energy source as it does not generate greenhouse gases and is abundant as its resources being present in large quantities in nature. It is therefore identified as one of the solutions to address two crucial challenges: the need to reduce global carbon emissions and the ever-growing demand for energy in various sectors of the economy, such as transportation, construction, agriculture, and the digital industry.

1 A stellarator is a magnetic confinement device used in nuclear fusion research. It maintains a hot plasma by using a complex network of external coils to generate a helical magnetic field, without requiring internal electrical current. This configuration allows for continuous operation and reduces the risk of instabilities.

2 The European Gyrotron Consortium (EGYC) includes the Swiss Plasma Center (SPC), the cole Polytechnique F d rale de Lausanne (EPFL), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Euratom-Hellenic Association (HELLAS), the Institute for Plasma Science and Technology of the Italian National Research Council (ISTP-CNR), the Polytechnic University of Turin, and Thales, the industrial partner.

Documents

Thales and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics set a world record in the field of nuclear fusion.pdf

Contact

Thales Media Relations

Contact our Media Relations team

05 Nov 2024

Thales to empower JetZero's innovative aircraft for safe and eco-friendly flights

Read more

04 Nov 2024

Thales: Launch of the 2024 Employee Share Ownership Plan

Read more

04 Nov 2024

Thaless Naval DRAKON solution enhances interoperability and secure connectivity for naval forces

Read more
LINK: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/group/press_release/thales-an...
See more stories from thales

More from Thales

09/12/2024

Avinor selects Thales to deploy Norway's next-generation nationwide Unmanned Traffic Management system

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales and Avinor have partnered to implement No...

06/12/2024

Copernicus Sentinel-1C Earth observation satellite successfully launched

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Sentinel-1C will supply vital radar imagery for understanding climate change and preserving our planet Kourou, December 6, 2024...

03/12/2024

Thales Unveils Data Risk Intelligence to Redefine Data Risk Visibility and Proactive Risk Mitigation

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Data Risk Intelligence combines posture and beha...

27/11/2024

Thales Alenia Space to lead Carb-Chaser project, the first French constellation to monitor human-induced CO emissions

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Cannes, November 27, 2024 - Thales Alenia Space,...

22/11/2024

COOPANS, the Alliance Managing Europe's Largest Air Traffic Volume, Upgrades its Air Traffic Control (ATC) System with Thales

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn COOPANS is a leading international cooperation b...

22/11/2024

Press release

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales confirms that the Parquet National Financier (PNF) in France and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the United Kingdom hav...

21/11/2024

Thales unveils generative AI solution for Security Operations Centres (SOCs)

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thaless AI accelerator cortAIx has unveiled GenAI4SOC, the first solution of its kind developed in France, to detect cybersecuri...

21/11/2024

Thales prsente sa solution d'IA gnrative ddie aux Centres oprationnels de cyberscurit (SOC)

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Les quipes de cortAIx, l'acc l rateur d'...

20/11/2024

Thales's Friendly Hackers unit invents metamodel to detect AI-generated deepfake images

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn As part of the challenge organised by Frances De...

18/11/2024

Thales strengthens Portugal's very short-range air defence capabilities with ForceShield system

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales and NATO Support and Procurement Agency (...

14/11/2024

2024 Capital Markets Day: Thales, a global technology leader in Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales has successfully reinforced its business ...

13/11/2024

Eastern Airlines Technic and Thales extend MRO cooperation

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Eastern Airlines Technic (EASTEC) and Thales renewed their Maintenance Partnership Agreement, strengthening their collaboration ...

12/11/2024

Koreasat 6A communications satellite successfully launched

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Cannes, November 12th, 2024 - The Koreasat 6A communications satellite was successfully launched yesterday by a SpaceX Falcon 9 ...

07/11/2024

Celebrating Ethiopian Airlines delivery of the first A350-1000 in Africa equipped with Thales's AVANT Up IFE

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Ethiopian Airlines is the 1st Airbus A350-1000 i...

07/11/2024

Thales and Bleuet de France: a partnership for solidarity and recognition

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies specialising in Defence, Aerospace & Space, and Cybersecurity & Digital Identit...

06/11/2024

Thales and FEBUS Optics sign strategic co-development agreement to protect critical undersea infrastructure

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales has concluded an agreement with FEBUS Opt...

05/11/2024

Thales to empower JetZero's innovative aircraft for safe and eco-friendly flights

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The aviation industry has committed to achieving...

04/11/2024

Thales: Launch of the 2024 Employee Share Ownership Plan

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) announces the launch of its 2024 employee share ownership plan, running from Monday 4 November to Fr...

04/11/2024

Thales AI developments enhance operational performance of maritime mine countermeasures

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn At the Euronaval exhibition at Paris Nord Villep...

04/11/2024

Thales's Naval DRAKON solution enhances interoperability and secure connectivity for naval forces

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn With the return of high-intensity conflicts and ...

31/10/2024

Thales' Suite of IFE Accessibility SolutionsWins Prestigious Crystal Cabin Award

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The Crystal Cabin Award Association recognized T...

29/10/2024

A NEW SATELLITE AGREEMENT TO STRENGTHEN THE PAN-AFRICAN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FRANCE AND MOROCCO

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn French President Emmanuel Macron set to meet wit...

28/10/2024

Thales and BCG Announce Partnership to Enhance Cyber Resilience for Large Companies

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have an...

28/10/2024

Qatar Airways Signs Agreement with Thales to Equip A321 NX Fleet with Award Winning FlytEDGE IFE System

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Qatar Airways and Thales have signed an agreemen...

24/10/2024

Thales and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics set a world record in the field of nuclear fusion

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Developed in collaboration with the Max Planck I...

23/10/2024

Thales reports its order intake and sales as of September 30, 2024

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Order intake: 15.6 billion, up 23% on an organic basis1 ( 26% total change) Sales: 14.1 billion, up 6.2% on an organic basis ...

21/10/2024

AI-driven Attacks Targeting Retailers Ahead of the Holiday Shopping Season

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Imperva, a Thales company, the cybersecurity leader that protects critical applications, APIs, and data, anywhere at scale, warn...

17/10/2024

Thales makes first shipment of 300 night vision goggles for French Army under Bi-NYX contract

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn French forces have received the first 300 Thales...

16/10/2024

Thales demonstrates its capacity to deploy drone swarms with unparalleled levels of autonomy using AI

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On 16 October 2024, in the first flight tests of...

16/10/2024

ESA orders 6 additional radar-based satellites to Thales Alenia Space for IRIDE Earth observation constellation

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn This new batch of radar satellites will also be ...

16/10/2024

German Armed Forces receive final Ground Alerter 10 sense and warn camp protection system

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On 16 October 2024, Thales officially handed ove...

15/10/2024

Thales radios successfully tested by the German Armed Forces to be deployed within the NATO enhanced Forward Presence

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The German Armed Forces conducted operational te...

15/10/2024

KNDS selects Thales Power Systems Solution for the Leopard 2 A8

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn KNDS awarded Thales a contract to deliver compact, programable and scalable High-Power Solid-State Power Distribution Boards (SS...

14/10/2024

ESPRIT module for Lunar Gateway orbital outpost set for a significant upgrade

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales Alenia Space and ESA sign contract amendment to extend and optimize ESPRIT module Milan, October 14, 2024 - Thales Aleni...

09/10/2024

Thales to supply handheld thermal imagers to the Canadian Army

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The Thales Sophie Ultima long-range handheld thermal imagers have been selected by the Canadian Armed Forces, the first contract...

08/10/2024

Hera planetary defence mission successfully launched

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Hera aims to confirm if it is possible to deflect a hazardous asteroid on a collision course with the Earth, as a repeatable str...

07/10/2024

Thales to bring its expertise in advanced air mobility to the North Dakota Unmanned Autonomous Systems Council

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales, the global high technology leader and in...

18/09/2024

Thales contributes to the production of seven additional sections of the SAMP/TNG for the French Air and Space Forces

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales As announced on the 17 September 2024 ...

18/09/2024

Vulnerable APIs and Bot Attacks Costing Businesses up to $186 Billion Annually

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn API insecurity and automated abuse by bots responsible for up to 11.8% of cyber events and losses globally Bot-related security...

17/09/2024

Thales Australia's Lithgow Arms partners with Vbenfabrikken to establish Danish small arms industrial capability

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On 17 September 2024, Thales Australia and Denma...

17/09/2024

Thales joins the CAC 40 ESG index

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The inclusion of Thales in this index reflects the Groups accelerating progress in terms of social and environmental responsibil...