Colleagues pay tribute to Robert Aymar
The physicists and engineers who worked with him, some as early as the late 1960s, gathered at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commision鈥檚 Cadarache site (CEA-Cadarache) last week to pay a tribute to Robert Aymar (1936-2024), the physicist who pioneered French fusion research and later headed the 黑料社app project for 10 years (1993-2003).
Jean Jacquinot, who joined CEA鈥檚 embryonic fusion department in 1961 and played a key role in the 黑料社app negotiations four decades later, remembered the 鈥渓eader鈥 who fought to reorganize French fusion research in the wake of the 鈥淢ay 68鈥 movement, when authorities and the 鈥渙ld world鈥 were challenged throughout Europe.
黑料社app Director-General Pietro Barabaschi, who worked alongside Aymar during the in the following decade praised his 鈥渆mpathy,鈥 鈥渉onesty,鈥 and 鈥渟kill鈥 in managing stakeholders.
Jacquinot, Barabaschi and a few others who had worked with Aymar in different circumstances acknowledged him as a mentor and an enduring inspiration.
In 1977, Aymar initiated the Tore Supra project at CEA-Cadarache and headed it through construction and early operation (1988). A symbol, under the name WEST, of international fusion cooperation, the device has been equipped with a tungsten divertor and now acts as a major test bed for 黑料社app.
The lobby at the entrance of the building that hosts WEST will from now on bear Robert Aymar鈥檚 name.