Of Interest archive

Senior Project Manager Laure Navarro (ITER/MOMENTUM) will be speaking in March at the Construction Technology Summit in Austin, Texas, on the topic of "How digital technology is helping to build the ITER fusion reactor."

The conference is planned for Tuesday 19 March at 15h10 CST (in-person only).

See all information on this webpage.

In December 2021 the JET tokamak broke the world record for fusion power. Pulse #99971 achieved total fusion energy of 59 MJ—more than doubling JET's 1997 record.

STARMAKERS: The Energy Of Tomorrow tells the story of this achievement. It takes the viewer behind the scenes of the landmark European fusion experiment to show how scientists and engineers overcame incredible obstacles to move the world one step closer to a future of clean, safe, cheap and unlimited energy.

The documentary is available on Prime Video to rent or buy. Depending on your region, try this link or this link.

The European Master of Science in Nuclear Fusion and Engineering Physics (FUSION-EP) is a two-year Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) funded by the European Union. Focusing on the physics and technology of nuclear fusion as an energy source, it offers research-oriented education in engineering physics, offered by a consortium of eight European universities in Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany and Spain.

The curriculum is organized in two periods of increasing specialization, each in two different countries, along two distinct tracks: Fusion Sciences and Fusion Technology.

Students from all countries can apply. The selection procedure does not make any distinction between EU students and students coming from outside the EU. Scholarships are available to top-ranked students that cover the participation fee and offer a monthly allowance for the two years.

The campaign for the program beginning autumn 2024 is underway now. Apply before 15 February 2024 on the FUSION EP website.

The 15th ITER Neutronics Meeting and Fusion Neutronics Workshop 2024 will be held at ITER Headquarters from 8 to 10 April 2024.

The workshop will provide the opportunity for the fusion neutronics community to discuss recent advancements, issues and successes in the field.

Considering work underway in startups on alternative fusion concepts, progress on other technologies such as inertial fusion, and recent advancements (codes, shielding materials, etc.), the workshop seeks to broaden participation beyond ITER/DEMO scope. We encourage young researchers and fusion start-ups to participate in this event and present their work.

Planned topics include:

• Neutronics related to ITER
• Nuclear-radiation-related safety issues (safety margins/uncertainties, code qualification)
• Computational tools and nuclear data relevant for nuclear fusion (transport codes, activation codes, CAD/MCNP converting tools ...)
• Dose reduction methods and optimization, ALARA
• Shielding materials
• Material damage, nuclear heating, radioactive waste production and management 
• Accelerator-driven neutron sources for fusion applications
• Activated corrosion products
• Nuclear licensing for fusion reactors 
• Neutronics beyond ITER (DEMO, fusion power plants, alternate fusion schemes)

This meeting will be held primarily in-person but a few online presentations/participations are also possible. Subject to conditions, this workshop also includes ITER construction site visit.

See important dates and registration information on this page. 

On Friday 2 February, the Royal Institution in London is hosting a public discussion on "The latest developments in fusion energy."

At this in-person and live-streamed event, co-hosted by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), distinguished experts Fernanda Rimini (UKAEA), Pietro Barabaschi (Director-General of the ITER Project), and Tammy Ma (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) will take participants on a journey into the heart of fusion research and the most recent and groundbreaking discoveries in this leading-edge field.

See all information for how to attend in person or online here.

The recruitment campaign for 2024-2026 Monaco-ITER Postdoctoral Fellowships has opened. We are looking for top candidates with an excellent track record of creativity and accomplishment. Research possibilities exist in many areas of fusion science and technology, including:

Control technology
Plasma-facing materials and components
Burning plasma physics (confinement, stability, plasma-wall interactions, control, energetic particle physics)
Heating and current drive physics and technology
Fusion plasma diagnostics
Superconducting magnet technology
Electrical engineering
Mechanical engineering/ structural analysis
Remote handling technology
Vacuum technology and plasma fuelling technology
Cryogenics
Tokamak operations
Tritium breeding and tritium handling technology
Thermohydraulics

If your PhD was awarded after 1 January 2021—or if you are about to obtain one—and you come from one of the seven ITER Members or the Principality of Monaco, you are eligible to apply.

See all information on this webpage. Applications close on 29 February.

Fusion researchers are constantly challenging the scientific state of the art and improving the technology. This drive lay the basis the conditions for innovation, much of which can be exploited in other sciences and industrial sectors for the benefit of society.

The SOFT Innovation Prize rewards outstanding achievements in fusion energy research showcasing opportunities of valorization in the sector. It is intended for researchers and/or industrial actors who find new solutions, possibly with wider applications, to the challenges of fusion.

SOFT stands for Symposium on Fusion Technology—the name of  conference where the prize is awarded. Following the success of the previous editions, the European Commission is holding the contest again in conjunction with SOFT 2024 (23-27 September 2024, Dublin, Ireland).

There are no specific categories for this prize. Participants are free to submit an application concerning any physics or technology innovation that has been developed in magnetic confinement fusion research and that has market potential or has been taken up (or recognized) by industry to be further developed for the market.

Entries will be assessed on originality and replicability, technical excellence, economic impact, exploitation, and plans for further development. Proposals are studied by an independent jury composed of experts in technology transfer, from business and academia.

The deadline to submit applications has been extended to 15 February 2024. See further details on the SOFT Prize website.

At the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE), the KSTAR tokamak recommenced operations in December after a major upgrade to replace the device's carbon divertor with a tungsten divertor.

According to an article on the KFE website, the original carbon divertors could take a thermal load of 5MW/m², whereas the tungsten divertor can take 10MW/m². The upgrade is critical to the goal of sustaining a 100-million-degree plasma for 300 seconds by 2026. Data from the operational campaign will be directly relevant to ITER, which will operate a tungsten divertor under similar plasma conditions in terms of shape and structure.

This testing campaign will continue through February 2024. Read more about the plans in this article in English on the KFE website, or in Korean in the Chosun Biz.

From a UKAEA press release on 20 December 2023.

Some 40 and a half years after its first pulse on 25 June 1983, JET delivered pulse number 105,842 on Tuesday 18 December 2023.

UKAEA Chief Executive Officer, Prof Sir Ian Chapman, who was in attendance in JET's control room for the final plasma experiment, said: "This is the final milestone in JET's 40-year history. Those decades of research using JET by dedicated teams of scientists and engineers have played a critical role in accelerating the development of fusion energy."

JET's final day of plasma continued to push scientific boundaries, firstly attempting an inverted plasma shape for the first time at Culham before deliberately aiming electrons at the inner wall to improve understanding of beam control and damage mechanisms. The findings of these experiments will support the development of ITER.

JET will now move on to