EAST Tokamak Demonstrates Novel DTP Plasma Regime — Physical Review Letters

China's EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) at the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) in Hefei demonstrated a new 'DTP' (Detached divertor and Turbulence-dominated Pedestal) plasma regime in a metal-wall tokamak environment — the first such demonstration in a metal-wall device. The regime simultaneously achieved partial divertor detachment, edge-localized-mode (ELM)-free high-confinement operation, and enhanced pedestal performance for approximately one minute. Published in Physical Review Letters (lead researcher: Prof. Xu Guosheng, ASIPP), the result is significant because it shows a potential path to managing extreme heat loads on the divertor — one of the most pressing engineering problems for commercial fusion reactors — without sacrificing plasma confinement quality. ELM-free high-confinement mode and divertor detachment are normally in tension; the DTP regime reconciles both simultaneously, offering a potential operational scenario for ITER and future power plants.