At the annual meeting of the Plasma Physics Division of the American Physical Society, which took place on the 18th, Zap Energy, a U.S.-based fusion energy technology firm, made a significant announcement. Its latest-generation "Fusion Z-Pinch Experiment 3" (FuZE-3) has achieved a remarkable breakthrough in experimental research. It has reached an electron pressure of up to 830 megapascals, which translates to a total plasma pressure of roughly 1.6 gigapascals. This milestone sets a new pressure benchmark for shear-flow-stabilized Z-pinch devices and marks a substantial leap forward in the pursuit of achieving fusion energy gain.

The plasma chamber of FuZE-3 is about 3.66 meters in length and is capable of generating high-temperature, high-density plasma filaments that are just a few millimeters wide. During this experiment, the research team employed "optical Thomson scattering" technology to gather relevant data. The high-pressure state was sustained for approximately 1 microsecond.

The design objective of FuZE-3 is to push the boundaries of the "triple product" (which is the product of density, temperature, and confinement time). This latest achievement indicates that the device is one step closer to enabling controlled nuclear fusion reactions.