§ 47. Mr. Masonasked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on controlled thermonuclear fusion; whether encouraging results have yet been achieved during experiments; and to what extent research and development is being encouraged in this field.
§ Mr. MaudlingI have been asked to reply.
The experimental apparatus at Harwell known as ZETA is now operating. Discharges through heavy hydrogen gas have yielded very high temperatures. Experiments are going on to identify the source of the accompanying neutron emission which probably arises from thermonuclear reactions but may possibly be due to other complex nuclear processes. Although the successful operation of ZETA is an important step forward, many major problems remain to be solved before the practical application of thermonuclear reactions can be considered, and the work must be expected to remain in the research stage for some years. Research and development in this field are being given the highest priority.