Toroidal solenoid

Imagine a giant, round tube, like a donut, but made of metal. Scientists thought about putting super-hot gas, called plasma, inside this donut shape. They wanted to use special magnets to hold the plasma in place, like invisible walls. It was a super early idea for making energy, kind of like how the sun makes energy, but in a machine!

Two clever scientists, George Paget Thomson and Moses Blackman, came up with this idea way back in 1946. They were so excited they even patented it, which means they got special permission to say it was their idea first! It was a secret patent for a while. It was like having a secret clubhouse for a really cool invention.

This donut idea was super important because it was one of the very first times scientists tried to figure out how to make a special kind of energy called fusion. Fusion is what powers the sun! They wanted to see if they could do it here on Earth. Even though it didn't work perfectly, it was a big step for science.

The scientists wanted to heat the plasma inside the donut really, really hot, hotter than anything you can imagine! They thought about using radio waves, like the ones that bring music to your radio, but super powerful. They hoped this heat would make the tiny pieces of the gas stick together, like building with LEGOs, and release lots of energy.