Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 40：Artificial Sun

The control room of the Northern Base.

"Chief Engineer Jiang, the laser ignition circuit has been repaired!"
Jiang Fan responded with palpable excitement, "Are there any other issues with the laser ignition system?"
"The system is fully operational, no issues, the ignition experiment can proceed at any time!"
"Good!"
Jiang Fan let out a sigh of relief and then returned to the main control panel.
"Report on the magnetic coil system?"
"The magnetic coil system has reached level nine power, all data is normal!"
"How about the external power supply?"
"Data is normal!"
"..."

"Commander Zhou, all data is normal, ignition can proceed at any time!"
Commander Zhou's hands trembled with excitement as he immediately activated the remote communication system.
"Chief, the Tokamak device is back to normal, the ignition experiment can commence at any time!"
At that moment, the Chief was in the midst of discussing solar energy research with Professor Li when he received Zhou Huai De's report.
He glanced down at his watch and noticed that the time he had given Zhou had already passed by three minutes.
"Xiao Zhou, I'll give you one more chance for ignition. If you fail this time, the Northern Base will halt all research tomorrow. All scientific personnel will be reassigned to other projects!"
"Understood, I promise you!" Zhou Huai De said resolutely.
"Chief, if we stabilize nuclear fusion for 100 seconds, you must bring all the original research staff back and provide us with a 10 billion yuan budget!"
"10 billion?"
The Chief's auditors gasped at Zhou's request.
Last year, the government allocated 30 billion yuan for basic scientific research, and Zhou was asking for a full third of it—10 billion yuan. This meant that other projects would have to shrink their budgets just to accommodate his request.
Professor Li and his team, who were sitting nearby, were equally stunned. Their entire project budget was only 4 billion yuan.
When compared to Zhou's request for the nuclear fusion project, their funds seemed almost negligible.
The Chief remained calm, nodding in agreement.
He believed the failure rate of Zhou's project was 100%.
Seeing his calm demeanor, everyone else felt a sense of reassurance. Though 10 billion yuan was a significant sum, the key was whether Zhou could prove his capability.
"Commander Zhou, you're certainly aiming high! Hahaha..."
"The premise is that nuclear fusion is stable for 100 seconds! I don't believe he can make it, unless the sun rises in the west!"
"Hahaha... if he can achieve 100 seconds, our solar energy project will automatically withdraw!"
Professor Li knew that their solar energy project was intended to address the global energy crisis, but converting solar energy was low-power, and it wouldn't have much impact on future technological advancements.
In contrast, controlled nuclear fusion could release tremendous energy, with fusion pulses outputting over 16 megawatts of power—enough to propel a hundred-thousand-ton aircraft carrier as if it were a toy.
If successful, it would be a historic breakthrough, akin to the discovery of oil, coal, and gas—ushering humanity from the agricultural era directly into the industrial age.
It was no exaggeration to say that if controlled nuclear fusion was successfully developed, it would completely transform society, catapulting it from the modern age into an ultra-modern future!
However, all of this was still a distant possibility, depending on the success of the research.
Professor Li believed that even with 80 more years of research, success was still uncertain.
Thus, they had no hope that Zhou's ignition experiment would work.
Laughter filled the room as they watched the screen, occasionally teasing Zhou.

Meanwhile, inside the control room, Zhou Huai De inhaled deeply, exchanging a determined look with Jiang Fan.
Their eyes reflected unwavering conviction.
"Begin ignition!"
Upon hearing Zhou's command, Jiang Fan sat upright, his face stern as he fixed his gaze on the data across the control panel. After confirming everything was in order, he shouted once more,
"Laser ignition ready!"
"3"
"2"
"1"
"Ignite!"
The scientist controlling the ignition button slammed it down with force.
Everyone in the room held their breath, their eyes glued to the Tokamak device, not daring to blink.
Suddenly, a blinding white light erupted from the Tokamak, illuminating the entire laboratory.
The intensity of the light rapidly increased, soon matching the blinding brilliance of the sun.
The personnel in the control room clenched their fists, their eyes fixed on the nuclear fusion reaction inside the Tokamak.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
What began as nervous tension soon gave way to excitement. Some researchers started grabbing their colleagues by the arm, shaking them, and stammering,
"Three seconds, three seconds, it's stable for three seconds! Amazing! The nuclear fusion we've created is actually stable for three seconds, haha..."
"We've never had this kind of time before! Incredible, we can finally control nuclear fusion! Haha..."
"Commander Zhou, look, look, it's stable, it's stable!"
...
Everyone was elated, dancing with joy. After ten years of research, this was the first time they had managed to control nuclear fusion. Although only for a few seconds, it was a historic breakthrough in technology!
They all knew that if they could stabilize nuclear fusion, even for just a few seconds, it would point them in the right direction. They could continue refining the process, learning from their successes and mistakes.
They believed that one day, controlled nuclear fusion would be fully achieved.
And today marked the turning point in their base's history.
Jiang Fan, seated at the main control panel, did not cheer. His goal was to stabilize nuclear fusion for 100 seconds, not just a few seconds.
He understood that while it was easier to stabilize nuclear fusion at the start, as the temperature reached millions of degrees, the materials of the Tokamak would face extreme stress and the process would become more difficult.
Zhou Huai De stood beside Jiang Fan, suppressing his own excitement.
"Xiao Fan, any issues with the data?"
Jiang Fan's expression was serious as he calmly replied,
"None for now!"

In the meeting room of the National Science and Technology Bureau, the discussion on the solar energy project was suddenly interrupted by a loud exclamation:
"Nuclear fusion is stable!"
The entire room fell silent as everyone looked up at the screen.
On the screen, a glowing red sphere could be seen inside the Tokamak, emitting continuous, dazzling light.
"A man-made sun!"
"It's really a man-made sun!"
"How... how is this possible?!"
"Nuclear fusion has truly stabilized!"
The Chief jumped to his feet, rubbing his eyes, and double-checking—yes, it was indeed a stable man-made sun, a controlled nuclear fusion reaction!
He hurriedly called out to the technician responsible for the remote video feed,
"Time?"
"Time?"
"How long has the nuclear fusion been stable?"

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