Artificial Sun project: India one step closer with new gyrotron

Gujarat: India’s quest to recreate the power-generating process of the Sun has moved a step forward with the installation and commissioning of a new high-powered gyrotron at the Steady State Superconducting Tokamak (SST-1) at the Institute for Plasma Research in Gujarat.

The 82.6 GHz, 400 kW gyrotron is designed to deliver high-frequency microwave energy to the plasma inside SST-1, enabling scientists to heat and sustain it at extremely high temperatures. The system marks a major upgrade over the tokamak’s earlier 42 GHz heating system.

SST-1 is India’s experimental fusion machine, built to study the process that powers stars. In fusion, light atomic nuclei are forced to combine under extreme conditions, releasing enormous amounts of energy. Scientists create this environment by heating plasma — an electrically charged state of matter — to extraordinary temperatures and confining it within a doughnut-shaped chamber using powerful magnetic fields.

Indian fusion experiments have already produced plasma temperatures exceeding 200 million degrees Celsius, far hotter than the Sun’s core. However, achieving extreme temperatures is only one part of the challenge. Scientists must also keep the plasma stable and confined for sufficient periods to make sustained fusion possible.

The new gyrotron is expected to strengthen research into maintaining hotter plasma for longer durations and understanding its stability. Unlike the Sun, which relies on immense gravitational pressure, Earth-based fusion experiments require sophisticated magnetic confinement to prevent the plasma from striking the reactor walls.

The development does not mean SST-1 is generating electricity. However, it represents an important step in India’s pursuit of controlled fusion and the long-term possibility of harnessing star-like energy as a clean power source.