Main content

The puzzle of the plasma doughnut

鈥淗ow does fusion work, and how can we do it safely on earth?鈥 asks Les Walker.

What do you get if you smash two hydrogen nuclei together? Helium and lots of energy 鈥 it's nuclear fusion!

Nuclear fusion is the power source of the sun and the stars. Physicists and engineers here on earth are trying to build reactors than can harness fusion power to provide limitless clean energy. But it鈥檚 tricky.

Rutherford and Fry are joined by Dr Melanie Windridge, plasma physicist and CEO of Fusion Energy Insights, who explains why the fourth state of matter 鈥 plasma 鈥 helps get fusion going, and why a Russian doughnut was a key breakthrough on the path to fusion power.

Dr Sharon Ann Holgate, author of Nuclear Fusion: The Race to Build a Mini Sun on Earth, helps our sleuths distinguish the more familiar nuclear fission (famous for powerful bombs) from the cleaner and much less radioactive nuclear fusion.

And plasma physicist Dr Arthur Turrell, describes the astonishing amount of investment and innovation going on to try and get fusion power working at a commercial scale.

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Mon 21 Nov 2022 01:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 14 Nov 2022 20:32GMT
  • Mon 14 Nov 2022 21:32GMT
  • Tue 15 Nov 2022 04:32GMT
  • Tue 15 Nov 2022 13:32GMT
  • Tue 15 Nov 2022 18:32GMT
  • Mon 21 Nov 2022 01:32GMT

Space

The eclipses, spacecraft and astronauts changing our view of the Universe

The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry

The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry

A pair of scientific sleuths answer your perplexing questions. Ask them anything!

Podcast