Thanks to the work of three researchers — Seong-Moo Yang, SangKyeun Kim, and Ricardo Shousha — nuclear fusion energy may become that much easier to harness.
According to the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and reported by Interesting Engineering, nuclear fusion involves colliding hydrogen atoms with enough force to create superheated plasma. The plasma is contained in vessels known as tokamaks.
The trio's work focused on optimizing 3D magnetic fields within tokamaks to stabilize and improve plasma confinement. This is key to generating energy with nuclear fusion. If and when the plasma becomes unstable, it can damage the tokamak and terminate the fusion process.
While current tech allows scientists to address instability after it occurs, this new research addresses it in real time, Interesting Engineering reported. This keeps energy production stable and ongoing.
To make their breakthrough discovery, the research team used machine-learning AI, which learned the best methods to keep the tokamak running through a series of simulations.
Above all, though, SangKyeun Kim cited collaboration as the key to their success. The PPPL researchers experimented with tokamaks in South Korea and San Diego to reach their conclusions.
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This discovery is huge. Unlike nuclear fission, nuclear fusion energy does not create any long-lived radioactive nuclear waste, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. It also doesn't create any pollution, which makes it markedly different from oil and gas.
Because of this, researchers and governments are investing time and effort in streamlining the nuclear fusion energy generation process. For example, the U.S. and Japan announced a nuclear fusion partnership in 2024. Also, nuclear researchers surpassed the Greenwald limit, the point at which nuclear fusion usually spirals out of control.
Needless to say, scientists are constantly striving for ways to improve nuclear fusion and commercialize it. It's no wonder, then, that the PPPL trio was awarded the 2025 Kaul Foundation Prize for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research and Technology Development.
As Lab Director Steven Cowley said in the press release: "Their work has advanced our understanding of how to operate them more reliably and efficiently."
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