The paper is a result of a collaboration, and even friendship, built between 18 scientists from several institutions in Japan, France, and the UK involved in fusion materials research. The study has been led by Kazuto Arakawa, a professor at Shimane University in Japan, who specializes in microstructural analyses using transmission electron microscopy and is an authority in his field.
“Japan has long been known for its expertise in microscopy,” shares Sergei. Through scientific collaboration and relationships built over the past decade, scientists from France and the UK drew upon their Japanese counterparts’ expertise in microscopy.
EUROfusion funding, as well as in-kind contributions, where crucial to carry out the work that resulted in this paper. Together, the scientists tested their theories, using electron microscopes to see and track defects in materials near absolute zero, and even video-recording them moving.