Do Photons have mass ~ Barry Soden

As we know, light is not continuous, but consists of streams of photons travelling in straight lines, at the speed of light. If that isn’t difficult enough, photons are considered to be both particles and waves at the same time. They can be reflected, refracted and absorbed by almost anything. If they are absorbed, they deposit energy which can warm us or give us skin cancer. Barry will talk about another property, that they can be deflected when passing a large mass (well any mass really, but not enough to be detected.) He will discuss the Newtonian and Einsteinian explanations for this, and speculate about a possible Sodenian cause. Never one to shy away from controversy!

Is fusion power within sight ~ Dr. Tony Baxter

The timescale for construction of large fusion reactors, 25-40 years is clearly out of step with an increasing need for green energy. For scientists the generational gaps constrain progress, particularly where overtaken by developing technologies. By the mid 2010’s, a number of alternative fusion schemes began to emerge, financed mainly by venture capital, more suited to step-wise development. However, it has proved difficult to be objective, beyond the glossy brochure aims and time scales to attract funding. Despite these innovative and in some instances revolutionary ideas, more recently there have been breakthroughs with tokamaks towards realistic power production.