The Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC)
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) is known internationally as a leading
university research center for the study of
plasma and fusion science and technology.
The PSFC is an interdisciplinary research
center, approaching the study of fusion by
including the majority of the engineering
and science disciplines found at MIT: physics,
nuclear science and engineering, mechanical
engineering, chemistry, astrophysics, materials
science, and more. The PSFC's mission is to
identify and understand how cutting-edge advances
in science and technology can provide fusion
energy “smaller and sooner”. The PSFC
hosts a wide variety of relatively small experimental
facilities at the Albany Street corridor on
the campus of MIT, including plasma devices,
powerful superconductor magnets and high-energy
accelerators. In parallel, novel measurements
are developed for the challenging fusion environment,
which are then compared to leading-edge theory
and simulation. This research mission is integrated
with training and mentoring a new generation
of multidisciplinary fusion scientists and
engineers.
The PSFC is one of the largest producers of
plasma physics PhDs in the world. However,
the Center is not a degree granting body and
instead draws students from MIT academic departments.
Since plasma physics and fusion are by nature
interdisciplinary subjects, students who perform
research at the PSFC satisfy their educational
goals by residing at any of several departments
associated with the PSFC. Each department
has its own admission procedure, requirements,
and offers a number of plasma-related courses,
many of which are taught at the PSFC by PSFC-affiliated
professors.
== History ==
Originally founded in 1976 as the Plasma Fusion
Center (PFC), the Center consolidated research
carried out in MIT's academic departments,
the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory (FBML),
and the Research Lab for Electronics (RLE).
Since its founding, the PSFC has provided
a home for work on a wide range of related
topics covering fusion energy, plasma physics,
plasma applications and magnet technology.
In 2014, the magnet lab, which specializes
in magnetic resonance spectroscopy, formally
became part of the PSFC.
The synergy between ongoing research in plasma
physics and the magnet technology developed
at the FBML led to construction of the Alcator
experiment in the early 1970s – the highest
field magnetic confinement device in the world
at that time. Success in that program and
a growing national program in Fusion Energy
provided the initial impetus for the Center’s
formation. Founded at the request and with
the collaboration of the U.S. Department of
Energy, the original grant was for construction
and operation of a tokamak reactor Alcator
A, the first in a series of small, high-field
tokamaks, followed by Alcator C (1978) and
Alcator C-Mod (1993).
MIT's most recent tokamak, Alcator C-Mod,
ran from 1993 to 2016. In 2016 the project
pressure reached 2.05 atmospheres – a 15
percent jump over the previous record of 1.77
atmospheres with a plasma temperature of 35
million degrees C, sustaining fusion for 2
seconds, yielding 600 trillion fusion reactions.
The run involved a 5.7 tesla magnetic field.
It reached this milestone on its final day
of operation.
== Current Research Areas ==
Research activities are in four interrelated
areas.
Magnetic Fusion Energy
ADX: Advanced Divertor Experiment
Alcator C-Mod tokamak
High-field pathway to fusion power
Plasma heating and current drive
Plasma turbulence
Tokamak and stellarator collaborationsPlasma
Science
Basic plasma theory and simulation
High-energy-density physics
Lab astrophysics
Plasma fusion theory and simulation
Plasma material interactionsTechnology and
Engineering
Accelerators and detectors
High-field magnets
Plasma-based technologies
Waves and beamsMagnetic Resonance
High resolution solid-state Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance (NMR)
Spintronics
Structural biology
== Directors ==
1976 - 1978: Albert Hall (Interim Director)
1978 - 1988: Ronald C. Davidson
1988 - 1995: Ronald R. Parker (also Deputy
Director of ITER, beginning 1992)
1992 - 1994: Dieter J. Sigmar (Acting Director)
1994 - 1995: D. Bruce Montgomery (Acting Director)
1995 - 2014: Miklos Porkolab
2014 - present: Dennis G. Whyte (also Head,
Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering)
== Collaborations ==
The PSFC collaborates on projects with institutions
around the US and the world.
DIII-D (tokamak)
Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak
(EAST)
JET (Joint European Torus)
KSTAR
National Ignition Facility (NIF)
National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX)
OMEGA at Laboratory for Laser Energetics
Wendelstein 7-X
Z Pulsed Power Facility
