Foreword

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has continuously demonstrated its commitment in supporting the development of safe and environmentally clean nuclear fusion energy. Recognizing the prominent role of nuclear energy in the global scenario and the promising expectation that nuclear fusion will provide an abundant source of energy, the IAEA supports the exchange of scientific and technical information on all the topics related to fusion research through conferences, meetings and coordinated research projects.

The 24th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2012) was organized by the IAEA in cooperation with the Government of the United States of America through the US Department of Energy and Genaral Atomict from 8-13 October 2012.

With a number of next-step fusion devices currently being implemented such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Cadarache, France, and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore, USA and in view of the concomitant need to demonstrate the technological feasibility of fusion power plants as well as the economical viability of this method of energy production, the fusion community is now facing new challenges. The resolution of these challenges will dictate research orientations in the present and coming decades.

The scientific scope of FEC 2012 is, therefore, intended to reflect the priorities of this new era in fusion energy research. The conference aims to be a platform for sharing the results of research and development efforts in both national and international fusion experiments that have been shaped by these new priorities, and thereby help in pinpointing worldwide advances in fusion theory, experiments, technology, engineering, safety and socio-economics. Furthermore, the conference will also set these results against the backdrop of the requirements for a net energy producing fusion device and a fusion power plant in general, and will thus help in defining the way forward.

Previous conferences in this series were held in Salzburg (1961), Culham (1965), Novosibirsk (1968), Madison (1971), Tokyo (1974), Berchtesgaden (1976), Innsbruck (1978), Brussels (1980), Baltimore (1982), London (1984), Kyoto (1986), Nice (1988), Washington, D.C. (1990), Würzburg (1992), Seville (1994), Montreal (1996), Yokohama (1998), Sorrento (2000), Lyon (2002), Vilamoura (2004), Chengdu (2006), Geneva (2008), and Daejeon (2010).

The programme, book of abstracts, presentations and proceedings are compiled in the PDF file below, including all internal links.

document available (PDF)

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