Michigan Teen Creates Fusion Device

Josh Lindenmuth writes "The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Thiago Olson, a 17 year old Michigan teen, was able to create a small fusion device in his parents' basement. The machine uses a 40,000 volt charge and deuterium gas to create the small reaction, which he says looks like a 'small intense ball of energy.' The teen's fusion device is obviously not a self-sustaining reactor, but it still shows how fusion technology is becoming more accessible. Hopefully this points to a future where large scale fusion reactors are both economical and widely used."

Comments

What's up with Michigan?

[Quixote]

What is there in the water in Michigan? A few years ago a teen in Michigan created a nuclear fission reactor; now this guy one ups him and creates fusion ?

Site is down, so no videos for now

[BadAnalogyGuy]

His site: http://fusor.net/board/view.php?site=fusor&bn=fuso r_images&key=1150855195

Can anyone independently verify that fusion is actually occurring here? Is he really creating Helium in the chamber?

Neutrons

[Wyatt Earp]

What did he use to shield the neutrons or did he just suck them up?

How do we know it's fusion?

[UnHolier than ever]

Personally, if I put a dilute gas in a vacuum chamber, apply a voltage and see a small ball of fire, I think plasma. Why is this not just a plasma? How do we know it's fusion?

And what is a "hyperbolic chamber"???????

Note: creating a plasma at 17 years old in a garage would still be very cool. Maybe not slashdot-front-page cool, but still cool.

frightening

[mwanaheri]

OK, congrats that this seems to have worked. But a teen experimenting at home with 40.000 volt and Deuterium - am I the only one who thinks this is frightening?

Re:frightening

[OeLeWaPpErKe]

I get the impression it's quite the reverse. At least here it is.

The people who are afraid of overly performing students (there are a lot of them actually) are not the police, or national security or any such people but :
1) the teachers (most are a) quite dumb b) don't like to be challenged when they screw up a theory c) don't really know the subject)
2) fellow students (we've all watched the "nerd" movies)

Fusor

[deischi]

Sounds like a Farnsworth-Hirsch Fusor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusor
so really nothing new.

Re:Been done before

[cptgrudge]

Making a fusion reactor is relatively easy, albeit somewhat dangerous, like you said.

From here:

As with any nuclear-related project, safety must be taken into consideration.

[...]

* Radiation; this should be the least of your worries until about 15,000 volts of acceleration potential. At this point, x-rays start to emanate from viewports due to electron and ion bombardment of metals in the chamber. Always use a camera or mirror to peer into the viewport. X-rays can cause burns and lead to cancer. Above 40,000 volts, x-rays will start to come through the stainless steel chamber walls. At this point, you will need to use lead shielding. Neutron radiation is the most dangerous form of radiation known to man, but the fusor does not put out enough of it to be dangerous until about 45,000 volts. It can easily be shielded with water, wax or plastic. You can also minimize your exposure by standing well away from the fusor, or by operating it for only 20 minutes per week.

More safety info.

Really, it's that pesky part where we try to actually make it produce energy and break even that is stumping us right now.

Points for technical ability, but...

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh, let's write a story that make it look like he "creates" a standard Fanrnsworth-Hirsch Fusor (built for science fair projects, low level neutron sources, and just shits & grins for 50 years) and make the kid look like a genius.

Technical skill? Yes. Advanced knowledge? Yes.

But primarily, ability to follow directions available everywhere? Yes.

He may very well be a genius, but it is as likely that he's a genius at self-promotion as anything. There are many high-quality science projects he could have done, but add the words "nuclear" and "fusion" and you attract a lot of media attention. He'll make a good string theorist...

JD

Re:Well done

[Elminst]

I haven't been able to find a place to buy deuterium, unless you want to talk to a guy called Al (last name of 'Qaeda').

Put away the fear-mongering, and learn to use Google. Deuterium is easily obtained from many places for *gasp!* science experiments.
http://unitednuclear.com/hw.htm
http://www.isotope.com/cil/products/displayproduct .cfm?prod_id=5267
And the world's leading "producer" of Deuterium is Canada.

Kick ass

[phasm42]

While there are a lot of comments about this being a well-known device for fusion, it seems the practical application of this is a neutron source. The experience of actually building the machine is invaluable. If you've ever built something complex, you know that simply knowing about how something is built and actually having built it are very different things. By building, he's likely gained a lot of practical knowledge that can be applied to future projects. He could describe the process, drawing from his own experience instead of just what he's read.

Newsorthy? Not necessarily, but that's no reason to make it seem like what he's done is without merit.