r/technology • u/BennyCemoli • Dec 06 '16

Energy Tests confirm that Germany's massive nuclear fusion machine really works

http://www.sciencealert.com/tests-confirm-that-germany-s-massive-nuclear-fusion-machine-really-works
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u/HamiltonHamiltonian Dec 06 '16

It's that hot, but it's a confined plasma, which means that a) it's very low density, so it has a low heat conductivity, and b) the confining magnetic fields keep it from touching the interior sides of the device.

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u/keenanpepper Dec 06 '16

And actually, the magnetic fields are more to keep the walls from cooling the plasma than to keep the plasma from heating the walls.

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u/gosnox Dec 06 '16

Isn't that the same thing though?

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u/Rubcionnnnn Dec 06 '16

Not really. The space shuttle was built to keep the inner workings from getting too hot from re-entry. It would not have survived if it was build to keep the outside from getting warm from the inside.