When I was in high school my physics class visited the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL). During the class trip we were given a tour of their spherical tokamak, which is a device that produces fusion through magnetic confinement. Ever since that class trip I have been fascinated by the possibilities of fusion.

Fusion works by colliding two isotopes (usually deuterium) together at high energies. At these high energies the atomic nuclei can overcome the repulsive coulomb force and combine with each other. The combination of the two nuclei can produce large amounts of kinetic energy when a neutron is released from the nucleus.

Although I do not have the resources or expertise to make the extremely complicated spherical tokamak device at PPL, I do have the ability to construct a model of a Farnsworth-Hirch nuclear fusor. The model works through electrostatic confinement. The model consists of a vacuum chamber with an anode connected to ground and a cathode near -10,000 volts. When the fusor is on the air inside the vacuum ionizes, causing the positively charged ions to collide in the center of the device. The fusor I am constructing is only a model because no fusion is generated, only plasma. In order to create plasma in a true Farnsworth-Hirch fusor I would need a much stronger vacuum and a source of deuterium.

1. I started the project by modeling the fusor in Solidworks and planning out the build.

2. I then used Northeastern’s Mill to machine the top and bottom plates from aluminum. Where I then tapped the holes for the vacuum tube, pressure gauge and cathode.

3. The next step is to create the high voltage circuit. In order to convert the current produced by the transformer to DC, I made a rectifier with high voltage Diodes.