Fusion Research: Australian Connections, Past and Future

Three recent articles in Nature: Physics, on plasma physics issues relevant to the ITER fusion power experiment*[see inset], have Australian connections. Although Australia does not yet have any formal involvement with what is claimed to be the world‟s largest truly international scientific experiment, this connection is not surprising in view of the long and distinguished history of Australian contributions to fusion research. Beginning with the discovery of nuclear fusion, and the “triton” (tritium or 3H ion) by Sir Mark Oliphant and Lord Rutherford in 1933, Australians have made notable experimental and theoretical contributions both at home and in various overseas laboratories. Australia can claim the first tokamak in the western world, the Liley Torus. The "Rotamak", a spherical device, was invented by Professor I. Jones of Flinders University, and later at ANSTO, produced the world's first demonstration of a spherical torus configuration.