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A brief history of nuclear fusion

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Since the 1950s, international cooperation has been the driving force behind fusion research. Here, we discuss how the International Atomic Energy Agency has shaped the field and the events that have produced fusion’s global signature partnership.

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Fig. 1: Stellarator model.

UN Photo / Mark Garten

Fig. 2: First Fusion Energy Conference.

Photo Ellinger

Fig. 3: Henry Seligman opening the second Fusion Energy Conference.

Photo UKAEA

Fig. 4: T-3 tokamak.

USSR

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Acknowledgements

We thank the IAEA Archives for providing source material and photos for this article.

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Correspondence to Matteo Barbarino.

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Barbarino, M. A brief history of nuclear fusion. Nat. Phys. 16, 890–893 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-0940-7

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