Radio Waves Drive Fusion Plasma Current in First-Ever Demonstration, Paving Way for Continuous Reactors

In a breakthrough for nuclear fusion, physicists led by Jeff Lestz at General Atomics in San Diego have demonstrated a 'helicon current drive' for the first time. The team used radio waves steered around a donut-shaped tokamak, where they were absorbed by the confined plasma and generated an electric current inside it. This achievement matters because driving current with radio waves could help sustain the plasma indefinitely, a key requirement for continuous operation of future fusion power plants. Unlike conventional methods that rely on a central solenoid with limited pulse duration, helicon waves offer a steady-state solution. The experiment leverages recent advances in tokamak technology, making it a significant step toward practical fusion energy. If scaled up, this technique could enable reactors to run without interruption, bringing fusion closer to reality.