Fusion

Visualization of the proposed SPARC tokamak experiment. Using high-field magnets built with newly available high-temperature superconductors, this experiment would be the first controlled fusion plasma to produce net energy output.

MIT and newly formed company launch novel approach to fusion power

Goal is for research to produce a working pilot plant within 15 years.

March 9, 2018

A new era in fusion research at MIT

MIT Energy Initiative founding member Eni announces support for key research through MIT Laboratory for Innovation in Fusion Technologies.

March 9, 2018

Pablo Rodriguez Fernandez, first author of the study and a graduate student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Integrated simulations answer 20-year-old question in fusion research

Study finds that turbulence competes in fusion plasmas to rapidly respond to temperature perturbations.

February 16, 2018

“The kind of engineering that I want to do is the kind that can change people’s lives for the better,” says MIT senior Nick Schwartz.

Changing lives with heart, humor, and engineering

MIT senior and Marshall Scholar Nick Schwartz wants to solve the energy problem — and make people smile along the way.

January 3, 2018

Magnetic reconnection is a complicated phenomenon that Nuno Loureiro, an associate professor of nuclear science and engineering and of physics at MIT, has been studying in detail for more than a decade. To explain the process, he gives a well-studied example: “If you watch a video of a solar flare” as it arches outward and then collapses back onto the sun’s surface, “that’s magnetic reco...

Study sheds light on turbulence in astrophysical plasmas

Theoretical analysis uncovers new mechanisms in plasma turbulence.

December 1, 2017

MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center principal research scientist Robert Granetz.

3 Questions: Robert Granetz on fusion research

MIT research scientist is exploring how machine learning can predict and prevent disruptions in reactors.

October 10, 2017

“I like to say I build fancy thermometers. That’s my job,” says Alex Creely, a graduate student in nuclear science and engineering who works in the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT.

Alex Creely: Bridging the simulation vs. reality gap

Nuclear science and engineering graduate student receives Department of Energy Innovation Award for his work on plasma turbulence.

September 29, 2017

Graduate student Leigh Ann Kesler researches the effects of hot plasma on the interiors of fusion devices using a 2 megavolt electrostatic accelerator called DANTE in the Vault Laboratory for Nuclear Science at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

Measuring depths, scaling heights

When not climbing mountains, nuclear science and engineering PhD candidate Leigh Ann Kesler tracks erosion inside fusion reactor containment chambers.

August 31, 2017

The interior of the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, where experiments were conducted that have helped create a new scenario for heating plasma and achieving fusion.

Fusion heating gets a boost

The Plasma Science and Fusion Center explores a new recipe for heating plasma.

August 21, 2017

Left to right: Chikang Li, Richard Petrasso and Fredrick Seguin perform research in the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center's High-Energy-Density Physics Accelerator Facility, which develops and characterizes nuclear diagnostics for inertial fusion facilities across the country. Petrasso notes, "This lab is important in training undergrads and grads. It allows them to build and develop an array o...

Three MIT scientists honored with John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research

Plasma Science and Fusion Center researchers Petrasso, Seguin, and Li honored for developing a novel radiography technique.

August 2, 2017

“We now strongly believe that these magnetic fields critically affect structure formation in the universe — they are critical to shaping the world as we see it," says Associate Professor Nuno Loureiro.

Probing the magnetic universe

Nuclear Science and Engineering Associate Professor Nuno Loureiro ponders the origins of magnetic fields.

June 23, 2017

Assistant Professor Zach Hartwig joined the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering faculty this year after almost a decade of doctoral and postdoc work at MIT.

Zach Hartwig: Applying diverse skills in pursuit of a fusion breakthrough

Newly-appointed Assistant Professor Zach Hartwig's mission is to use nuclear technology to benefit society and the environment.

May 22, 2017

“I want to empower girls to feel they belong in these fields,” says Monica Pham, a sophomore in nuclear science and engineering.

Monica Pham: Advancing nuclear power and empowering girls

Sophomore researches fusion energy and promotes STEM opportunities for young women.

April 21, 2017

“My upbringing fostered the desire to tackle big problems that have a global impact," says MIT grad student Julien Barber. "Fusion fits the bill of a global remedy for both energy needs and some environmental problems. It’s trying to change the game.”

Julien Barber: Protecting magnets and the environment

Master's candidate explores ways to cool high-temperature superconductors used in fusion research.

March 27, 2017

Thirty-three students presented their research at the 2017 Nuclear Science and Engineering Graduate student Expo on March 17.

A showcase of nuclear science and engineering at MIT

Nuclear Science and Engineering Expo provides an opportunity for prospective grad students and the MIT community to learn about department research.

March 24, 2017

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