On Monday 18/12/2017 at around 7 pm, after raising the current in the divertor coils, the very first X-point plasma in the WEST tokamak was obtained. Therefore, WEST joins the small family of divertor tokamaks. This major milestone and excellent collective result nicely conclude the 2017 activity of IRFM and the WEST members.

From 27 to 29 september, progresses on Plasma Edge Theory were discussed in Marseille during the 16th International  Workshop on Plasma Edge Theory in Fusion Devices. This conference organised by Aix-Marseille University and CEA IRFM gathered around 70 experts on plasma theory of the edge region in magnetic confinement fusion devices. It reflected the present status of the theory for the boundary layer of fusion plasmas.

Axel Jardin, PhD student at IRFM, won one of the four prizes rewarding the best posters presented by PhD students at the EPS conference on Plasma Physics held this year in Belfast (Northern Ireland) from 26 to 30 June, 2017. More than 500 physicists gather each year thanks to this conference. This year, 70 PhD posters were evaluated by the EPS Committee.

9th ITER International School - 20th-24th March 2017, Aix en Provence

Tungsten (W) floor inside WEST in CEA-IRFM.

On February the 9th a delegation of CEA, led by Gabriele Fioni, visited the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST) to sign a "Letter of Intent", in order to prepare the creation of a joint Franco-Chinese Center for Fusion Science and Technology. This first document intended to formalize this new impetus given to a collaboration already very fruitful.

Bernard Bigot (Director General of ITER Organization) enjoying IRFM expertise in Virtual Reality with Pierre Guedon (CEA-IRFM), during Liaison Commitee's visit in CEA-IRFM and WEST tokamak. But do not be mistaken, if Bernard Bigot seems having fun discovering a virtual tour using VR googles, it is only because he knows how relevant it is for a project like ITER to use top of the edge technologies to support ITER's breakthroughs.

Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology & Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, visited WEST in IRFM premises this week, guided around by Alain Bécoulet (Head of IRFM) & Jérome Bucalossi (IRFM - WEST project Leader)