Introduction to MIT’s Plasma Science Fusion Center 

The Plasma Science Fusion Center (PSFC) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts is a laboratory used by staff and students to research a variety of topics. This facility is accessible to much of the MIT community and those involved in research at PSFC and it functions in association with several academic departments at the institute which include: “Chemistry, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Science Engineering, and Physics”. 1 As you can see, the center is a hub for up and coming scientific research and is a place to both build upon your knowledge as well as curiosity about new scientific theories. This large facility has the capacity to store a vast variety of scientific equipment that is necessary for all of the various kinds of research that is conducted here.

But what does this all mean and why is it so significant? The goal at PSFC is to delve deeper into the study of plasmas, “the fourth state of matter”. On the website for the research center you will find a form that allows visitors to join the team of researchers – this represents the willingness of the institute to serve as a space for educators, researchers, staff, and  students to actively collaborate on the areas that they are most concentrated on.

What is Plasma?

You may have heard of plasma if you have ever donated blood; It is the liquid part of blood that remains after red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are removed. 2 It then makes sense that this liquid is a crucial part in making sure that can transport things that nutrients, proteins and hormones throughout you body 2. For those in need of plasma transfusions, it could mean the difference between life and death because these people often are faced with health difficulties such as immune deficiencies. 2 Not only does plasma research prove itself to be innovative but also a strive toward saving many lives.

What is Fusion?

If you recall the blog about nuclear energy fission and fusion you may remember the it meant to fuse something together or make it so that this will be. Looking into PSFC’s website it says that the process of fusion is “he process of combining light elements like hydrogen into heavier ones like helium. It releases enormous amounts of energy, creating the light and heat of our Sun and all the other stars.” 1

The above figure provided by MIT Professor Ian Hutchinson is a basic model of the a plasma fusion reaction; Essentially what this is demonstrating is the way in which plasma reacts with surrounding elements. When plasma reacts with surrounding objects, a wake a is formed and simulations show a wave-like image surrounding the blue circle that you can see above. This is just one observation among many that lab scientists use to better understand plasma.

To learn more about the work that PSFC does, the lab is open to visitors for those who do not attend MIT and lab tour guides are enthusiastic about educating visitors about what it is like to work in the lab.

 

https://www.psfc.mit.edu/news/2016/cherry-murray-visits-psfc

https://www.cslplasma.com/what-is-plasma

https://www.psfc.mit.edu/vision/what_is_plasma

https://www.psfc.mit.edu/research/topics/basic-plasma-theory-simulation