fusion reactor designs

Fusion reactor designs aim to replicate the process that powers the sun, where atomic nuclei combine to release energy. The most common designs are tokamaks and stellarators, which use powerful magnetic fields to confine superheated plasma—ionized gas containing hydrogen isotopes. Tokamaks are doughnut-shaped, whereas stellarators have a twisted structure. Both designs seek to achieve the conditions for fusion: high temperature and pressure, allowing nuclei to overcome their repulsion. Successful fusion could provide a nearly limitless, clean energy source, as it produces minimal waste and uses abundant fuel like deuterium and tritium, isotopes of hydrogen.