As highlighted by Isaac Schultz of Gizmodo in the article “This Giant Magnet Can Lift an Aircraft Carrier—and Possibly Power the Future”, a groundbreaking milestone in fusion energy research has just been achieved with the completion of the most powerful pulsed superconducting magnet system ever built. This magnet, known as the Central Solenoid, is now ready to be integrated into the ITER project—an international collaboration aiming to replicate the power of the Sun here on Earth.
Constructed and tested in the United States, the Central Solenoid will soon be shipped to southern France, where ITER’s massive tokamak reactor is being assembled. Tokamaks are advanced devices that use powerful magnetic fields to contain superheated plasma, the fuel for nuclear fusion. What makes this solenoid so exceptional is its strength—strong enough to lift an aircraft carrier, according to ITER.