新理论解决“仿星器”粒子泄漏研究难题 有望使聚变反应堆研制速度提高10倍

Core Insights - A research team from the University of Texas at Austin, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and First Light Energy Group has developed a faster and more accurate method to repair magnetic field defects in fusion reactions, addressing the challenge of locating particle leakage in "stellarators" [1] - This advancement is considered a paradigm shift in the design of fusion reactors, potentially increasing the speed of stellarator development by tenfold [1] Group 1 - The concept of stellarators, proposed in the 1950s, involves a toroidal design that uses external coils to control the magnetic fields generated internally, effectively confining plasma and high-energy particles [1] - A significant challenge in fusion energy development is the confinement of high-energy alpha particles within the reactor; leakage of these particles prevents the plasma from achieving the necessary high temperature and density for sustained fusion [1] - Traditional methods based on Newton's laws for identifying gaps in the magnetic confinement system are computationally intensive and slow, complicating the design process for stellarators [1] Group 2 - Scientists and engineers often resort to a simpler but less accurate method, perturbation theory, to approximate the location of gaps, which has slowed the development of stellarators [2] - The new method proposed by the research team is based on symmetry theory, providing a fresh perspective for understanding the system and potentially allowing for more accurate mapping of particle leakage points, enhancing reactor safety and efficiency [2] - This new approach also aids in addressing a similar issue in another popular magnetic confinement fusion reactor design, the tokamak, where uncontrolled electrons can create holes in the surrounding walls [2]