Fusion power – the ultimate source for clean energy

The lecture (held in English)

Nuclear energy is, together with solar radiation, the only presently known energy resource which can supply humanity for an in practice indefinite timespan. Peaceful nuclear energy generation is now based on fission of heavy nuclei such as uranium. The other process generates energy by fusing light nuclei into larger ones (i.e. colliding hydrogen nuclei to become helium). Controlled energy production based on fusion has many advantages but has so far not been realized in spite of intense research for more than 60 years.

However, significant progress now happens based on two technologies: magnetic confinement and strong laser pulses. Professor Odd Erik Garcia will describe the international development within magnetic confinement fusion, a topic he has been leading research projects within during the past decades, now as Head of Aurora Centre for Non-linear Dynamics and Complex Systems Modelling (DYNAMO) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

The most promising approach involves the magnetic confinement of a superheated, ionized gas—composed of electrons and hydrogen nuclei—within a controlled environment. This presentation will provide an overview of the fundamental principles behind nuclear fusion, current research activities, and the cutting-edge technologies being developed to make fusion power a reality. It will also explore the progress and timelines of key projects, including the ITER facility in France and the SPARC device near Boston, USA, which is pioneering the use of high-temperature superconductors. 

Practical information

• When: Monday September 16th, 2024. Coffee and refreshments will be served from 15.45, and the lecture starts 16.15
• Where: Egget, Studentsenteret (Parkveien 1).
• For whom: The lecture is intended for a wider audience, will be held in English, and is part of the Horizons seminar series of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences dedicated to big questions. Everyone is welcome!

About the lecturer
Professor Odd Erik Garcia works at UiT, where he is the leader of tha UiT Aurora Centre for Nonlinear Dynamics and Complex Systems Modeling (DYNAMO). He is also a visiting Scientist and Fulbright Scholar at MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. 

Organisers
This lecture is a joint event organised by the Horizon Lecture Committee at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Academia Europaea Bergen Knowledge Hub, supported by Selskapet til vitenskapenes fremme. 

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