United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
A plasma test in the MAST experiment at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, 2013
Fusion power is a proposed form of power generation that would generate electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing energy. Devices designed to harness this energy are known as fusion reactors. Research into fusion reactors began in the 1940s, but as of 2024, no device has reached net power, although net positive reactions have been achieved.
The Joint European Torus (JET) magnetic fusion experiment in 1991
Early photo of plasma inside a pinch machine (Imperial College 1950–1951)
The UK claimed that it had gotten fusion first in 1957 on ZETA, but this claim had to later be withdrawn.
Magnetic mirrors suffered from end losses, requiring high power, complex magnetic designs, such as the baseball coil pictured here.
