1971

Council of the European Community decided in favour of a robust fusion programme and provided the necessary legal framework

1973

Design work began for the JET machine

1977

Machine construction work began

25th October, Culham site selected for JET project

1978

1st June, framework established the "JET Joint Undertaking" legal entity

1979

Site work began

18th May, JET foundation stone laid in Culham, UK

1983

JET construction completed on time and on budget

25th June, the JET first plasma (19 kA)

October, the world's first 1 MA plasma current. 3 MA by year end

1984

9th April, official opening by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

First Vertical Displacement Event (disruption)

1985

Technical objectives met: plasma current (4.8 MA) and toroidal field (3.4 T)

5 MW of ICRF coupled to the plasma

3 MA X-point operation demonstrated

Radiation induced collapse in density limit disruptions observed

1986

8 MW of ICRF coupled to the plasma - electron temperature 10 keV

10 MW of NBI injected into the plasma – ion temperature 12 keV

X-point operation gives H-mode confinement

World first observation of ‘monster’ sawteeth, stabilised by fast ions

Single pellet injection – peak density 2.5x10²⁰m^-3

1987

7 MA plasma current achieved

q=2 disruption limit verified

LIDAR system installed

1988

NBI power increased to 21 MW – ion temperature 20keV

Total heating power of 35MW achieved

World first production of Internal Transport Barrier (ITB) with Pellet Enhanced Performance (PEP) discharges

Confinement time of 1 s achieved in OH plasmas

First JET Hot-ion H-mode

1989

Beryllium components and evaporation used in JET

1990

ICRH coupled power enhanced to 22 MW

Prototype LH launcher introduced – current drive up to 1 MA

1991

9th November, World first controlled release of Deuterium-Tritium fusion power when the Preliminary Tritium Experiment (PTE) achieved 1.7 MW peak fusion power and 2 MJ fusion energy

ICCD demonstrated, leading to sawtooth stabilisation

L-mode plasma maintained for 1 minute

Confinement time of 1.8s in OH plasma

Steady state H modes for 18 seconds

1992

Full cycle AC operation

TF ripple experiments

1993

Installation of Mark I pumped divertor

7 MW LHCD system introduced

1994

Plasma detachment in divertor

Saddle coils used for TAE experiments

Steady state ELMy H-modes

1995

Installation of Mark II divertor

"Wind tunnel" energy confinement experiments

1996

Optimised shear plasmas developed with internal transport barriers produce record Deuterium-Deuterium fusion power

Ion temperature exceeds 30 keV

1997

World record Deuterium–Tritium campaign (DTE1) achieved 16.1 MW fusion power (65% ratio of fusion power produced to total input power), 22 MJ energy released

First clear evidence of alpha-particle heating of the plasma

Steady fusion power of 4MW maintained for 4 seconds

Ion temperature of 40 keV achieved

1998

First fully remote exchange of divertors - gas-box divertor installed

Pellet centrifuge used

1999

Toroidal field increased to 4.0 T

Confinement increases with triangularity

Inside-launch Pellet Injector installed and enhanced fuelling demonstrated

First observation of large SOL flows

MSE measurement of q-profile

European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) established, with responsibility for the future collective use of JET

31st December, JET's "Joint Undertaking" ended.

2000

1st January, JET Facilities now operated under contract by UKAEA. Further use of JET, and JET's scientific programme now carried out under the EFDA

31st May first experiment under the new EFDA framework

2001

First alpha simulation experiment

2002

ITER Normalised confinement, density and shape achieved

Material migration studies using QMB

Divertor discharge lasts record 50s

2003

Real-time feedback control of pressure and current profiles simultaneously

Hybrid regime established and extended towards ITER conditions

ELMs moderated with impurity seeding

Trace Tritium Experiment campaign

2005

New divertor and twenty-five new or considerably upgraded diagnostics were implemented during the 2004/2005 shutdown

ITER-like ICRH antenna under construction

2006

JET operates with ITER-like plasma shapes