Eggs will also be laid along the way. There is a "sun" on the island, and there is a science island in Hefei. Science Island | Fusion | Sun

On the Dongpu Reservoir in the western suburbs of Hefei City, Anhui Province, there is an inland small island called "Science Island". It is the location of the Hefei Institute of Material Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, with an area of less than 3 square kilometers. A number of world-class scientific and technological achievements have emerged, including the construction and operation of multiple large-scale scientific facilities, including the fully superconducting tokamak fusion experimental device. Over the past 10 years, this island has taken the lead in undertaking 45 national key R&D projects and 1257 National Natural Science Foundation projects, with a total of more than 2300 authorized invention patents.

The inheritance of new and old "islanders"

EAST is undoubtedly the "star" on Science Island, and Tokamak is a device that uses magnetic confinement to achieve controllable nuclear fusion. Because its principle is similar to the mechanism of solar combustion, it is called the "artificial sun". In the mid-20th century, humans began researching nuclear fusion energy. In 1973, the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched an experiment on Tokamak on the Science Island. As one of the earlier "islanders", Song Yuntao, Vice President of the Hefei Institute of Materials Science and Director of the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, remembers that the island was still very desolate back then, and nuclear fusion research was at least 10 years behind other countries. The older generation of scientists started with an imported experimental device and devoted themselves to the construction of a "Made in China" artificial sun. "For fusion research, we have a 'mentorship' approach. When experiments fail, mentors will help us modify the experimental plan, and older generation scientists will guide us to conduct experiments and constantly summarize our experience," Wang Weijun told reporters. He, born in 1995, is the latest group of islanders on Science Island. Last year, Dr. Wang Weijun graduated from graduate school and officially joined the Institute of Plasma Physics, responsible for the heat treatment process of superconducting coils. Wang Weijun said that he grew up on Science Island and was exposed to the concept of "artificial sun" at a very young age. The strong research atmosphere on the island planted the seeds of "chasing the sun". "Every generation has its own sun in their hearts, which needs to be constantly pursued," said Wang Weijun. In 2006, EAST was completed and put into operation. Over the past decade, more than ten thousand researchers have worked together on this large scientific device to pursue the dream of creating an artificial sun. In 2021, EAST successfully achieved repeatable long pulse high parameter plasma operation at 120 million degrees Celsius for 101 seconds, 160 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds, and 1056 seconds, breaking multiple world records. In addition, since 2006, Science Island has represented China in the international thermonuclear fusion experimental reactor program. In this international large-scale scientific engineering program, which is a collaboration between seven international parties and more than 30 countries, China is responsible for nearly 10% of scientific research tasks, of which Science Island undertakes 73% of China's tasks. At 21:00 on April 12th this year, EAST successfully achieved 403 second steady-state long pulse high confinement mode plasma operation, setting a new world record and attracting global attention. "The main significance of this breakthrough lies in the 'high constraint mode'." Wang Weijun explained that under the high constraint mode, the temperature and density of particles have significantly increased, laying a solid physical foundation for improving the power generation efficiency of future fusion power plants and reducing costs. "Simply put, we have explored the feasibility of a new mode of fusion reaction. Continuing to explore this path, the construction cost of fusion devices can be significantly reduced in the future, and fusion power plants may be more feasible in terms of commercialization." said Wang Weijun.

Laying eggs along the way, co building and sharing

In addition to EAST, the steady-state strong magnetic field experimental setup on Science Island is also eye-catching. In September 2017, the steady-state strong magnetic field experimental device passed acceptance and was put into use. So far, it has operated over 500000 machine hours, providing experimental conditions for more than 170 scientific and educational institutions at home and abroad, supporting researchers to carry out more than 3000 cutting-edge research in fields such as physics, chemistry, materials, life, and engineering technology, and achieving a series of important scientific breakthroughs. Last year, the device created a steady-state strong magnetic field with a field strength of 452200 Gauss, surpassing the world record of 450000 Gauss steady-state strong magnetic field that has been held for 23 years. "How strong is 452200 Gauss? The Earth's magnetic field is about 0.5 Gauss, a new record equivalent to more than 900000 times the Earth's magnetic field." The relevant person in charge of the Strong Magnetic Field Science Center of the Hefei Institute of Materials Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that just like a microscope magnifying 100 times can see more clearly than magnifying 10 times, the stronger the magnetic field, the more helpful it is to explore the internal structure of matter, which provides better conditions for discovering natural laws and developing new technologies. From the completed EAST and steady-state strong magnetic field, to the key system of the fusion reactor host under construction, and then to the planned "strong photomagnetic" and "atmospheric three-dimensional observation tower," the blueprint for the Science Island will have five large scientific facilities. For Science Island, the next step is to achieve the co construction and sharing of large scientific facilities. Although different large-scale scientific facilities have different process flows, there are some common key technologies and core processes among them. By establishing a common technology research and development platform, resource intensification and technological development can be promoted, and the combination of different devices can also help promote the output of significant achievements. In 2020, Science Island established the Institute of Health and Medical Technology, which is a product of interdisciplinary integration. Liu Jianguo, President of the Hefei Institute of Material Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that "Science Island" is focusing on the construction and operation of large-scale scientific facilities, promoting interdisciplinary integration, and striving to achieve self transcendence of scientific research achievements in each research unit. The co construction and sharing of large-scale scientific facilities have also promoted the incubation of industries. On Science Island, such a transformation is called "laying eggs along the way". Previously, in order to promote the "laying of eggs along the way" of EAST, Science Island established a full chain fusion industry base in the concentrated area of large scientific devices, focusing on the comprehensive research facilities of EAST and fusion reactor main systems, to create a fusion industry chain that integrates upstream scientific and technological research, midstream equipment manufacturing, and downstream industrial applications. On the other hand, laying eggs along the way feeds back the development of local industries. In 2021, Anhui Zhongke Terahertz Technology Co., Ltd. signed a contract to land in Luyang District, Hefei City, where Science Island is located. The project was initially applied to active source terahertz technology in EAST, and later incubated to create terahertz laser active imaging security inspection equipment, with a "precise" imaging accuracy of up to 1 millimeter. In addition, in Dayang Town, Luyang District, the pilot research and development platform "Science and Technology Innovation Processing Factory" is focusing on the three major fields of new materials for power batteries, superc