The problem of energy sources has become of great importance for the rapidly developing human society. Scientists all over the world are trying to reproduce on earth the most common energy source in the Universe and origin of the solar radiation: nuclear fusion.
The success of this research would grant a potentially inexhaustible energy source produced in safe plants and in respect of the environment.

The idea is to realize a reactor where nuclear fusion conditions can be created. Among the different scientific approaches investigated at this purpose, the solution based on quasi stationary hot plasma magnetically confined has made an impressive progress in the last fourty years and is presently supported as the reference path to fusion by the European Union.

The RFX Experiment (Padova - Italy) is a toroidal device where a ring of high temperature ionized gas (called "plasma") is confined by a magnetic field in the Reversed Field Pinch configuration (RFP), a configuration in which, in the peripherical regions of the plasma, the toroidal component of the magnetic field has a sign opposed to that of the more internal regions.

Consorzio RFX is a research organization promoted by CNR, ENEA, Università di Padova, Acciaierie Venete S.p.A. and INFN, within the framework of the Euratom - ENEA Association.