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World's largest tokamak fusion reactor powers up
The world's largest and most advanced tokamak fusion reactor has gone online as the EU/Japanese 370-tonne JT-60SA reactor was fired up for the first time during an inauguration ceremony in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
First conceived by Soviet scientists in the 1950s, tokamaks are toroidal reactors that are one of the leading contenders to become the first commercially viable fusion power plants. The name is a Russian acronym for Toroidal Chamber with Magnetic Coils and consists of a large doughnut-shaped chamber surrounded by magnetic coils that compress a plasma made of hydrogen isotopes until it reaches pressures and temperatures that are only found in the interior of the Sun to initiate fusion.
In concept, it's a simple machine and achieving fusion is relatively easy, but in practice it's extremely difficult to build a reactor that can maintain a sustained fusion reaction that generates more power than is fed into it. The Japan Torus-60 (JT-60) project has been running since 1970 and the JT-60SA is that latest and biggest iteration.
The JT-60SA is currently a joint project by the EU and Japan, with participation by Britain, which signed a separate agreement after leaving the Union. The original reactor was upgraded several times as technology evolved, resulting in a complete disassembly and reassembly in 2013, with work finishing in 2020. Unfortunately, this was followed by a massive electrical short in 2021 that necessitated two years of repairs.
The initiation of operations for JT-60SA was inaugurated on December 1, 2023 by the EU’s Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson and Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Masahito Moriyama in a formal ceremony. Though the upgraded reactor still isn't anywhere near to being a practical power generator, it will be used to overcome many outstanding problems as well as testing materials and procedures that will be needed for commercial stations.
For 75 years we've been told that fusion power was only 25 years away and billions of dollars have been spent to make it practical. However, since successful fusion power would provide humanity with unlimited clean power forever, a little patience might be in order.
注释：
toroidal: adj
表示"环形的(喇叭口形的)"，means "of or relating to or shaped like a toroid; doughnut shaped"，如：toroidal swirl 旋涡流
acronym: n
表示" 首字母缩略词"，means "a word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name"，如：Could you tell me what this acronym stands for? 您能告诉我这些缩写的大写字母代表什么意思吗?
isotope: n
表示" 同位素"，means "one of two or more atoms with the same atomic number but with different numbers of neutrons"，如：The isotope ratio is directly used for comparing oils or gases. 同位素比率直接用于比较各种石油或天然气。
necessitate: v
表示" 使 ... 成为必需； 迫使"，means " make necessary"，如：necessitate a great supply 需要大量的供应
中文简要说明：
就在COP28会议期间，美国代表提出核融合产业全球合作的想法以后，由欧盟和日本共同研发的JT-60SA 反应器，在日本茨城县举行的落成仪式上首次点火。它的总统总重量达到370公吨，是世界最大、最先进的托卡马克核融合反应器(tokamak fusion reactor)，。
新阿特拉斯(NewAltas)报导，托卡马克反应器，最初是苏联科学家在 1950 年代提出，这是一种环形反应炉，「托卡马克」这名字是俄语中「带磁线圈环形室」的缩写，因此外型会呈现一个巨大的环状结构，那是个环腔室，周围环绕着高磁线圈，内部填充用于融合的氢同位素高温离子体，这些高温离子会受到磁场影响而被高度压缩，以模拟类似太阳内部才有的压力和温度，期望发生少量的核融合反应。
托卡马克在概念上可行，实现融合的原理也相对容易。但是实际建造却是困难重重，尤其是提升高能磁场本身就消耗巨大的电力，而环境内能否实现核融合也不确定，因此输入的能量很可能超过它反馈的能量，因此在经济上并不成立。
还有一个大问题是高能离子体很难掌握，它很容易从磁场的薄弱处突破，造成压力与温度的下降，这也是目前最大的技术难题。
虽然有种种困难，世界各国研究核融合的脚步却没有停，日本设计的Torus-60 (JT-60) 计划，自 1970 年以来就持续运转，主要也是研究磁场如何控制高能离子态的流动。JT-60SA则是最新、最大的版本，获得欧盟的支持(英国在脱欧盟后，再次签署了新的单独的协议，没有离开团队)。
随着知识的累积，JT-60SA在2013 年进行了彻底的拆卸和重新组装，并于2020 年完成工作。不幸的是，在2021 年发生了大规模的电气短路，需要两年的维修。
终于在12 月 1 日，JT-60SA完成了修复。欧盟代表赛门 (Kadri Simson) 和日本文部科学大臣盛山正仁(Masahito Moriyama)在启动式上，正式宣布 JT-60SA 运转。尽管升级后，JT-60SA的主要工作还是实验器，远未成为实用化的核融合发电机组，但团队相信，在实验过程中，将会学到许多新知识，对于商业化核电合所需的材料和工作程序都会有帮助。
在1950年的物理学老师会告诉学生「核融合大约20年后可以商转」；到了1970年，物理学老师继续告诉学生「核融合大约20年后可以商转」；1990年，物理学老师还是告诉学生「核融合大约20年后可以商转」。到了2010年，物理学老师已不再预测核融合何时商转了。我们希望JT-60SA真的能研究出更多的知识，再多一点耐心吧！
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