Fusion power has been held up by our inability to get the reaction hot and dense enough to self-sustain, or maintain its own temperature without externally-provided heat. By studying the magnetic fields of planets and other bodies in space, scientists have found a new configuration of magnetic fields that could help concentrate the density of the fuel. The setup uses a levitating magnet to help the plasma to move across magnetic field lines, which maintains its high density, eliminates particle loss, and may even allow for the use of cheaper helium-3 as fuel.
Fusion requires the reacting plasma to be well-confined, or densely packed, and the particles involved have to remain in that area to keep energy losses at a minimum. This helps the plasma achieve the Lawson criterion, the set of conditions needed for a plasma to not only reach ignition, but remain sufficiently confined to continue reacting and releasing energy. For many reactor designs, this means confining the plasma using magnetic fields.
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