Fusion divided: what prevented European collaboration on controlled thermonuclear fusion in 1958

TL;DR

This paper examines the historical failure of European collaborative efforts on controlled thermonuclear fusion in 1958, highlighting political, institutional, and competitive factors that influenced scientific cooperation.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the political and institutional barriers that prevented joint fusion research programs in Europe during the late 1950s.

Findings

CERN's fusion study group facilitated international networking but failed to establish joint programs.

Power dynamics and competition led to the creation of the UK Culham Laboratory.

Science played a role in European integration but was hindered by intergovernmental conflicts.

Abstract

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva is renowned for operating the world`s largest particle accelerator and is often regarded as a model of high-profile international collaboration. Less well known, however, is a key episode from the late 1950s, when CERN was confronted with the research priorities of similar organisations. The issue centred on a CERN-sponsored study group on controlled thermonuclear fusion, which brought together scientists from CERN member states, as well as representatives from the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), the European Nuclear Energy Agency (ENEA), and the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). While the CERN Study Group on Fusion Problems succeeded in creating an international network for exchanging reports and coordinating projects to avoid duplication, it ultimately failed to establish joint fusion research programmes. This article explores the reasons behind this outcome to provide insights into intergovernmental power dynamics, underlying competition, and how these factors favoured the creation of a new fusion research institution in the UK, the Culham Laboratory. In doing so, the article contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of science in European integration, while also highlighting that CERN`s involvement in application-oriented research remains an underexplored aspect of its history.