​The giant magnet was sent by sea from St. Petersburg and is due to reach Marseille in two weeks as part of an international scientific project in the field of nuclear physics.

Russia has withdrawn from almost all international scientific projects, but remains in several where a quick exit is impossible, as it would mean the termination of these projects.

The Russian atomic agency “Rosatom” sent a huge magnet with a diameter of 9 meters and a weight of 200 kg to France. This ring-shaped magnet is being transported through Amsterdam, and in Marseille it will become the top part of a structure called a “tokamak”, an experimental machine being built in the south of France that wants to achieve energy production starting from hydrogen fusion.

Without this megamagnet, the tokamak cannot work. 35 countries are participating in the construction of the largest nuclear fusion device.

The work was supposed to go to France in May, but the sanctions prevented the shipment.

Nuclear fusion is the process in which two atomic nuclei react to form a new nucleus that is heavier (with more mass) than the original nuclei. Fusion produces other subatomic particles, such as neutrons or alpha (helium nuclei) or beta (electrons or positrons) particles.

Source: AFP

Photo source: Dreamstime.com