Hot new exhibition about the Sun and prospects for commercial fusion

01 Nov 2018 James Dacey

In this episode of Physics World Weekly Hamish Johnston describes his visit to the opening of a major new exhibition at the Science Museum in London. The Sun: Living With Our Star – which runs until 6 May 2019 – is a treasure trove of objects that document humanity’s fascination with the Sun through the ages. You’ll hear from the lead curator Harry Cliff and the curator of infrastructure and built environment, Oliver Carpenter.

One of the objects at the exhibition is a prototype tokamak that has been loaned by the UK-based company Tokamak Energy. It illustrates the scientific and commercial efforts to create “mini Suns” here on Earth in the search for an energy supply based on nuclear fusion. Later in the podcast, Physics World’s James Dacey is in conversation with Melanie Windridge, a communications consultant with Tokamak Energy, who speaks about the prospects for commercially viable fusion. Windridge wrote an article for the October 2018 issue of Physics World about why fusion energy always seems to be 30 years away.

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1/11/2018 FROM PHYSICSWORLD.COM