The term "tokamak fusion" refers to a method of achieving nuclear fusion that uses magnetic fields to confine a plasma in the shape of a torus. The phonetic transcription of "tokamak" is /toʊkəmæk/, where the stress is on the second syllable. The spelling of "tokamak fusion" combines the word "tokamak" with "fusion," which refers to the process of combining atomic nuclei to release energy. This technology has great potential to provide a source of clean energy and is being studied extensively by scientists around the world.
The term "tokamak fusion" refers to a method of achieving controlled nuclear fusion, which is carried out in a device called a tokamak. A tokamak is a toroidal (donut-shaped) device that creates and contains a plasma at extremely high temperatures and pressures, aiming to replicate the conditions found in the core of the Sun.
In a tokamak fusion reactor, a combination of hydrogen isotopes, typically deuterium and tritium, are heated to form an extremely hot plasma. To achieve the high temperatures required, energy is provided by heating the plasma with powerful magnetic fields and injecting intense electrical currents into it. This creates conditions where the positively charged atomic nuclei collide with sufficient energy to overcome their mutual electrostatic repulsion and fuse together, releasing vast amounts of energy in the process.
The magnetic fields in a tokamak are produced by a combination of external coils and a self-generated internal magnetic field, achieved by inducing electrical currents within the plasma itself. This magnetic confinement method helps to maintain stability within the plasma and prevents it from coming into contact with the material walls of the tokamak.
Developing practical and efficient tokamak fusion reactors is challenging and requires overcoming various technical and engineering hurdles, including sustaining the fusion reaction and capturing the released energy in a self-sustaining manner. The goal of tokamak fusion research is to harness the immense power of controlled nuclear fusion, potentially offering a virtually limitless and environmentally clean source of energy for the future.
The etymology of the word "tokamak" is derived from the Russian phrase "тороидальная камера с магнитными катушками" (toroidalnaya kamera s magnitnymi katushkami), which translates to "toroidal chamber with magnetic coils" in English. The term was coined in the Soviet Union in the 1950s when a team of physicists led by Igor Kurchatov and Andrei Sakharov developed the tokamak concept for confining high-temperature plasmas in a magnetic field for the purpose of achieving controlled fusion reactions. Since then, the word "tokamak" has become the international standard term for this type of fusion device.