Ways Toward Fusion

Abstract

Probably some of you will be surprised by my presence here. This is because I am partly responsible for the choice of the subjects of this 8th Erice International Course on Fusion Reactor Technology. One or two years ago, when I was responsible for the Euratom Fusion Programme, which, as you know, is mainly devoted to magnetic fusion, some members of our Consultative Committee suggested that it would be wise to pay some attention to other routes toward fusion and thus in particular to muon-catalyzed fusion, and we decided to explore the possibility of a course or workshop. Prof. B. Brunelli, Director of this Fusion School in Erice, was the easiest target for me, and so I proposed that the course be devoted to muon-catalyzed fusion and fusion with polarized nuclei. As you know, Prof. Brunelli has done a lot of work to organize the present meeting and to get excellent speakers — I did nothing. So, he is justified in asking me, as a sort of compensation or punishment, to open this meeting even if my knowledge of these subjects is extremely modest. What seems less justified is to take up part of your time; therefore I will try to be very brief.