HEFEI (CHINA): Chinese scientists on Thursday successfully conducted their first test of an experimental thermonuclear fusion reactor, which replicates the energy generating process of the sun.

The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) fusion reactor, nicknamed ``artificial sun,'' was tested at the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Hefei.

During the experiment, deuterium and tritium atoms

Unlike traditional nuclear fission reactors, which split atoms to create energy and produce dangerous radioactive waste, EAST uses nuclear fusion to compress atoms at extremely high temperatures to generate energy that would produce very little pollution.

Scientists theorise that a fully functional fusion reactor would provide cheaper, safer, cleaner and endless energy and reduce the world's dependence on fossil fuels. — Xinhua