Advanced System for Simultaneous, Long-duration, Multi-point Plasma Measurement Developed in Japan

Plasma control diagnostics expected to advance the implementation of fusion energy

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Kyoto University’s Institute of Advanced Energy, and the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) announced today that they have developed an advanced, world-class microwave plasma measurement system for fusion energy. The system is capable of simultaneously measuring plasma conditions at multiple points over extended periods. The joint team successfully demonstrated the system using the Heliotron J fusion experimental device at Kyoto University. The three collaborators aim to promote the development of plasma diagnostics technologies necessary for the practical implementation of fusion energy.

Fusion energy is highly anticipated as a next-generation, carbon-free energy source. Under its Fusion Energy Innovation Strategy and related initiatives, the Japanese government is supporting R&D and industry-academia-government collaboration targeting power generation demonstrations by the 2030s. To realize fusion energy, it is essential to establish reliable diagnostic technologies for the real-time monitoring of fusion plasma, which reaches temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius. Microwave measurement technology is a promising approach because it allows key components to be installed separately from the plasma, even inside a fusion reactor, where equipment is susceptible to damage from neutron irradiation. Since 2025, Mitsubishi Electric, Kyoto University and NIFS have been collaborating to advance microwave measurement technologies and their implementation in experimental systems.

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