A UW-Madison professor will be the liaison between U.S. plasma and fusion science researchers and a group that is building the U.S. share of ITER, an international experiment that aims to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power, which one day could be an abundant, economical and environmentally benign energy source, the UW announced.
On May 24, the seven international ITER participants initialed an agreement to construct the experiment. The U.S. Department of Energy and its ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Project Office recently named UW engineering physics Professor Raymond Fonck chief scientist for the U.S. portion of the project.