Scientists make breakthrough in effort to build device that mimics the sun: 'Critical importance'

While many critics of nuclear fusion have long dismissed it as science fiction fantasy, researchers have made an enormous breakthrough, bringing the promise of a virtually unlimited power source one step closer to reality, according to Interesting Engineering. 

"In the Universe, thermonuclear fusion is a common reaction: It is the source of energy for stars," the researchers explained in a mid-September news release. "On Earth producing energy using this process is difficult due to problems with controlling the plasma emitting significant amounts of energy. Of critical importance here is the knowledge of the current state of the plasma and the power released in nuclear reactions."

What an impressive sight! #Vacuumvessel module #6 – the second of nine – is now in the #tokamak pit.

It took many hours of high-precision and well-coordinated team work to bring this behemoth of 1350 t into its final position.#fusionenergy #engineering #fusionfuture pic.twitter.com/y5UrkKrqH3

— ITER (@iterorg) June 20, 2025

While this sounds complicated, it essentially means that to harness the massive amounts of energy produced during nuclear fusion, it is necessary to monitor what is going on inside the nuclear reaction with a high degree of accuracy. 

This requires inventing a detector that can determine what is going on inside a reactor, where the conditions are akin to being at the center of the sun. 

Enter the high-resolution neutron spectrometer, the device that scientists believe will allow them to monitor conditions inside the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, which has been under development for over a decade, according to the release. 

The HRNS will measure the quantity and energy levels of neutrons coming out of the reactor's plasma, according to Interesting Engineering. 

"Measuring the fast neutron population from the two dominant reactions in the plasma is a direct indicator of fuel composition, ion temperature, and combustion quality," explained Jan Dankowski, the lead author of a research article describing the HRNS, per Interesting Engineering. "In ITER and future reactors, this will be a key tool for controlling and optimizing reactor operation."

As humans search for new sources of energy to replace planet-heating nonrenewables such as oil, gas, and coal while also meeting the world's ever-growing demand for electricity, proponents of nuclear fusion have long hailed its many theoretical benefits. 

Compared to nuclear fission, which powers today's nuclear reactors, nuclear fusion is less radioactive, creates no radioactive waste, and poses no threat of a large-scale nuclear disaster, all while releasing much larger quantities of energy, according to the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority.

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, nuclear fusion releases no planet-heating pollution.

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Nuclear fusion has the potential to satisfy all the world's energy needs, including those of the energy-hungry data centers needed to power advanced artificial intelligence models. In theory, this would drive down electricity costs for everyone while solving the problem of rising global temperatures.

Of course, the main drawback of nuclear fusion is that it has not been realized. 

However, the development of the HRNS marks a step toward attaining the goal of a cleaner, more abundant supply of energy to power the world of tomorrow.

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