Nuclear science and engineering

Alex Tingly (right), a graduate student in the Department of Physics, and senior research scientist Earl Marmar, head of the Alcator C-Mod project since 2002, review data on synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons in plasma.

High-intensity fusion

MIT’s Alcator C-Mod nuclear reactor winds down — and defines its legacy on its final run.

October 14, 2016

The interior of the fusion experiment Alcator C-Mod at MIT recently broke the plasma pressure record for a magnetic fusion device. The interior of the donut-shaped device confines plasma hotter than the interior of the sun, using high magnetic fields. Postdoc Ted Golfinopoulos, shown here, is performing maintenance between plasma campaigns.

New record for fusion

Alcator C-Mod tokamak nuclear fusion reactor sets world record on final day of operation.

October 14, 2016

ABRACADABRA (A Broadband/Resonant Approach to Cosmic Axion Detection with an Amplifying B-field Ring Apparatus), consists of a series of magnetic coils, wound in the shape of a toroid, or donut, which is then encased in a layer of superconducting metal and kept at temperatures just above absolute zero. The scientists plan to use a highly sensitive magnetometer, placed inside the donut hole, to det...

Team simulates a magnetar to seek dark matter particle

Detecting “axion” particles may solve longstanding problem in particle physics.

October 7, 2016

“Science was always second-nature to me since I was a kid. I spent a lot of time just tinkering around, breaking stuff apart and building it back up,” says Benoit Forget, associate professor in MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

Benoit Forget: Unraveling complexities of nuclear reactors

By making detailed simulations of reactor cores, the MIT engineer is helping to advance new designs.

October 3, 2016

MIT Communication Lab Director Jaime Goldstein says a new online tool will help deadline-driven graduate students write at any hour of the day.

Engineer, explain thyself

A new online tool helps graduate students communicate — in their own languages.

September 27, 2016

“We have great people who I can talk to about anything, from nitty-gritty physics details to the loftier goals of getting this implemented in the political future,” says grad student Jayson Vavrek of the Laboratory of Nuclear Security and Policy.

Turning particle detectors into weapons detectors

Nuclear science and engineering PhD student Jayson Vavrek applies particle physics to solve problems with nuclear weapons disarmament.

September 26, 2016

MIT freshmen and counselors pose in front of the Hull Wind turbine next to Hull High School. The turbine has provided renewable energy for the town since 2001.

Energy orientation introduces freshmen to low-carbon technologies on campus and in the region

September 21, 2016

"When I learned about fusion I thought: This is the future!” —Silvia Espinosa, PhD candidate

On the edge of discovery

For PhD student Silvia Espinosa, a passion for solving theoretical puzzles fuels a quest for fusion energy.

September 13, 2016

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a huge, cubic-kilometer particle detector buried deep under the ice at the South Pole. After analyzing 20,000 neutrinos detected over the span of a year at the observatory, scientists were unable to observe any sign of sterile, or “hidden,” neutrinos.

Neutrino search finds no evidence of “hidden” particle

If discovered, sterile neutrinos may explain dark matter.

August 8, 2016

In a new concept for battery cathodes, nanometer-scale particles made of lithium and oxygen compounds (depicted in red and white) are embedded in a sponge-like lattice (yellow) of cobalt oxide, which keeps them stable. The researchers propose that the material could be packaged in batteries that are very similar to conventional sealed batteries yet provide much more energy for their weight.

New lithium-oxygen battery greatly improves energy efficiency, longevity

New chemistry could overcome key drawbacks of lithium-air batteries.

July 25, 2016

"It is easier to make a replacement nuclear weapon from scratch than to try to pass off a fake object as a weapon," says R. Scott Kemp in MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering about a new method to verify that a country's claimed warheads are authentic without disclosing classified information.

A novel approach to a longstanding challenge in nuclear arms control

MIT researchers develop a “physical cryptography” for secure and accurate accounting of the world’s nuclear arsenals.

July 19, 2016

Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy, left), a gung-ho scientist with expertise in the paranormal, and Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon, right), an eccentric engineer, tinker in a nearly perfect replication of an MIT lab.

How MIT gave "Ghostbusters" its "geek cred"

From proton packs to hidden props, the 2016 blockbuster draws upon MIT personalities and scientific panache.

July 15, 2016

MIT nuclear science and engineering professors Jacopo Buongiorno (left) and Dennis Whyte will lead a multidisciplinary team working on a Future of Nuclear Energy Technologies study.

Buongiorno, Whyte win Sloan Foundation grant

$1M Sloan Foundation grant supports NSE-led Future of Nuclear Energy Technologies study

July 13, 2016

“When I started in graduate school I knew already that I wanted to work on turbulence in tokamaks,” says Anne White, the Cecil and Ida Green Associate Professor in Nuclear Engineering in MIT’s Plasma Fusion and Science Center.

Anne White: A passion for plasma

Physicist has a fascination for the complexities of turbulence, and how to reduce it in fusion reactors.

June 29, 2016

“In about 30 seconds, we can scan a container and provide a three-dimensional map of [the materials inside the cargo]. This information clears the container or alerts you to a region that needs to be examined more carefully,” says William Bertozzi, MIT physics professor emeritus and co-founder of Passport Systems.

Improved threat-detection

Scanners more rapidly and accurately identify radioactive materials at U.S. borders, events.

June 22, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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