Soundbite: In our last episode, you heard about how scientists are working to harness the power of the sun on earth with fusion. Achieving fusion on a large scale could bring about a new age of unlimited, carbon-free energy. Scientists are getting closer to making this a reality, but there are still a few hurdles to overcome. One of those is finding materials that can withstand the insane conditions of a fusion reaction. Oak Ridge National Laboratory already has unique capabilities for testing these materials with the High Flux Isotope Reactor, or HFIR. While a fission reactor like HFIR produces some pretty extreme conditions, it’s still no match for what a material will experience inside a fusion reactor. That’s where the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment, or MPEX, project at ORNL comes in. Hear how scientists like Juergen Rapp will use MPEX to take materials testing to the next level.

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