Using lasers to create fusion and save the world – with Kate Lancaster

When lasers were invented over half a century ago they were dismissed as a “solution looking for a problem”. Since then lasers have come to revolutionise our lives through their practical applications. Today, scientists are using lasers to attempt to recreate fusion, the energy source of the sun, to create a clean and inexhaustible supply of energy for the future. Physicist Kate Lancaster leads us on a journey through this extreme world, from the basics of how lasers work to ultra-intense giant lasers which might provide clean energy for everyone. Kate Lancaster is an experimental plasma physicist with expertise in inertial fusion energy and ultra-intense laser plasma interactions, industrial engagement, knowledge transfer, teaching, and science communication (speaking, broadcast, and written). She is the programme leader for MSc in Fusion Energy and part of the physics department at the University of York. This talk was livestreamed on 9 December 2021. --- A very special thank you to our Patreon supporters who help make these videos happen, especially: Andy Carpenter, William Hudson, Thomas Gønge, Richard Hawkins, Don McLaughlin, Jonathan Sturm, Microslav Jarábek, Michael Rops, Adam Leos, Alan Latteri, Andrew McGhee, Anonymous, Ben Wynne-Simmons, Dave Ostler, David Lindo, David Schick, efkinel lo, Frances Dunne, Gou Ranon, Greg Nagel, Ivo Danihelka, Jeffrey Schweitzer, Joe Godenzi, John C. Vesey, jonas.app, Jonathan Killin, Kevin Winoto, Lasse T. Stendan, Martin Paull, Matt Townsend, Osian Gwyn Williams, Paul Brown, Paulina Barren, Rasiel Suarez, Rebecca Pan, Robert Reinecke, Roger Baker, Scott Edwardsen, Stephan Giersche, Supalak Foong, Taylor Hornby, Tim Karr, and William Billy Robillard. --- Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe The Ri is on Patreon:   / theroyalinstitution   and Twitter:   / ri_science   and Facebook:   / royalinstitution   and Instagram:   / ri_science   and Tiktok:   / ri_science   Our editorial policy: https://www.rigb.org/editing-ri-talks... Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link. #FusionEnergy, #LaserTechnology, #CleanEnergyFuture, #KateLancaster, #SustainableScience