We visited the French laboratory where scientists are seeking to create an artificial sun

Numerama offers you a unique exploration of ITER, the international experiment which consists of reproducing a sun in a laboratory. And she is in France!

“ What if the Holy Grail of energy was in the stars? What if a star could meet the needs of humanity? » These almost mystical sentences introduce episode 2 of our documentary series « The France of the future “. But they have nothing to do with magic; everything to do with cutting-edge science.

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They precisely define what the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project is trying to achieve. Located in the discreet village of Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France, this complex spans 42 hectares and is home to a colossal scientific facility aimed at recreating the conditions that exist in the hearts of the stars. Here, hundreds of engineers and scientists are working to assemble an artificial sun. This fusion reactor, weighing nearly 30,000 tonnes, uses tokamak technology: a ring-shaped device, equipped with super-powerful magnets, which maintains a plasma at temperatures of 150 million degrees, well beyond the temperatures observed in our own sun.

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The goal is just as ambitious: to achieve a clean nuclear reaction and produce the energy humanity needs to prosper.

Report at ITER by Numerama // Source: Louise Audry — Report at ITER by Numerama. // Source: Louise Audry

Energy, at the heart of the challenges for the future of humanity

We were lucky enough to be able to enter this laboratory to help you discover its secrets. Marcus, science journalist at Numerama, takes you to the heart of this titanic installation, which turns out to be much more than a simple scientific project; it is an unprecedented international collaboration bringing together 35 countries. The complexity and scale of this project demonstrate the human capacity to cooperate across borders for a common goal.

Will we be able to maintain this collective effort in the service of the common good? Can we envisage nuclear fusion as the future of energy in the medium term? Do we have, in the heart of France, a project that will revolutionize our modern societies? Is this extraordinary project really the key to solving the global energy crisis? Our documentary explores these essential questions.