Evgeny Velikhov (1935-2024)
Deep in outer space, a small celestial body bears a name familiar to the worldwide fusion community. Orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, asteroid Velikhov was named in honour of Russian physicist Evgeny Velikhov, a major figure in the history of fusion research and, as Mikhail Gorbachev’s friend and scientific advisor, one of the driving forces behind the creation of ITER. Academician Velikhov passed away on 5 December, two months short of his 90th birthday. Asteroid Velikhov will remain as a testimony of its namesake’s contribution to plasma physics and thermonuclear reactor development.
“Evgeny Velikhov was an extraordinary individual, with a brilliant mind, unwavering integrity, and visionary outlook,” wrote ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi in his message to staff and stakeholders.
In the early 1970s, Evgeny Velikhov, who had joined Moscow’s Kurchatov Institute in 1961, took the fusion torch from Lev Artsimovitch (1909-1973), the legendary figure who initiated fusion research and developed the first tokamaks in the Soviet Union. From then on, Velikhov would work tirelessly not only to develop the understanding of plasma physics but also to establish the indispensable international collaborations that culminated in the launching of ITER in the mid-1980s.
In November 2010, Velikhov, who by then headed the ITER Council, confided: "The scientific community on both sides of the East-West divide began working on what was to become ITER as early as the mid-1970s. We knew that only a vast and ambitious international project would make the demonstration of fusion feasibility possible.”
Big Science projects, however, need a strong political push to translate into reality. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev acceded to the top position in the Soviet state. A close relation of Velikhov’s dating back to their student days at Moscow State University, the new Secretary-General soon saw the benefits, both scientific and diplomatic, of launching such a collaboration.
Similar dynamics were at work in the United States, Europe and Japan. At the Geneva Summit in November 1985, when President Reagan and Secretary Gorbachev met for the first time, an item in their agenda proposed “the widest possible development of international cooperation” in fusion research “for the benefit of all mankind.” Thus ITER was born, close to 40 years ago.
Despite his many duties as Director and later President of the Kurchatov Institute, vice-president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and head of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, Evgeny Velikhov remained deeply involved in ITER, heading the ITER Council in 1992 at the start of the Engineering Design Activities and later in 2010-2012 when construction work began on the ITER site.
“He was until the last moment a staunch supporter of ITER," wrote Pietro Barabaschi, who met with Velikhov just two months ago in Moscow. “He asked me so many questions about how we were doing and wished all of us all the best.”
With the passing of Evgeny Velikhov, and, two months earlier of Robert Aymar, two prominent leaders from the generation of ITER’s founding fathers have quietly left the scene, leaving strong memories and a legacy that will endure.