Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What fusion-power milestone did the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor achieve in 1994?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
plasma
Learn about the PHELIX (Petawatt High-Energy Laser for Heavy Ion Experiments) laser at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. PHELIX is used for plasma and atomic physics research.
In 1994, the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) achieved a major milestone by generating 10 megawatts of fusion power. This accomplishment was significant because, unlike most previous experiments that utilized hydrogen or deuterium, the TFTR was fueled with a mixture of deuterium and tritium, allowing researchers to study the behavior of fusing plasma and the effects of the high-energy alpha particles produced during the reaction.1