ALTERNATIVES:
Fusion Power From a Floating Magnet?
James Riordon
In a novel experiment that may ultimately lead to a simple, safe, and inexpensive fusion power source, energy-producing plasma would be trapped around a levitating ring of superconductor, a scheme inspired by observations of ionized gases trapped in the magnetic fields of planets like Jupiter and Earth. The project is part of a wave of experimentation now sweeping through the field of magnetic fusion as experimenters seek alternatives to current reactor designs (see sidebar).