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ARTICLE · 18 MARCH 2024

JET-ting Towards Fusion?

J A Kemp
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At the end of February, in Culham, Oxford, the decommissioning of the Joint European Torus (JET) research facility began.

United KingdomEnergy and Natural Resources
Isaac Harris
Isaac Harris
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At the end of February, in Culham, Oxford, the decommissioning of the Joint European Torus (JET) research facility began. The facility was first constructed in 1978 to allow for research into fusion to be conducted using the conditions that would be present in a fusion machine. The life of the machine was extended several times, and it led to a number of discoveries that will be used to design and improve future machines. In the machine's final days of operation, it was also able to set the record for the highest energy output of a fusion machine.

What is fusion and how does it differ from fission?

Fusion is the process through which our sun generates heat. Hydrogen atoms are heated to extreme temperatures which allows for them to join to form helium and causing a release of energy. If fusion could be achieved on earth, this released energy could be harnessed to generate electricity in the same manner as existing power plants. Fusion is only possible due to the

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