Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 58 minutes ago
At the heart of every star is a fusion reaction. This process combines small molecules like hydrogen to form larger, heavier ones like helium—and in doing so, releases an immense amount of energy in the form of heat and light. The MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) is working to harness fusion on Earth, with the goal of designing power plants that can emit zero carbon, operate safely, and are extremely power dense.
Achieving fusion is difficult because it only occurs when matter is in the form of plasma—a superheated, ionized gas. Without the gravitational strength of a star, MIT scientists rely on magnetic fields and other techniques to produce the reaction. In this forum session led by MIT Professors Nuno Loureiro and Zach Hartwig, you’ll gain new insights into the science of fusion and the search for fusion power—and discover how MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center is leading the charge toward a new era of energy.
At the heart of every star is a fusion reaction. This process combines small molecules like hydrogen to form larger, heavier ones like helium—and in doing so, releases an immense amount of energy in the form of heat and light. The MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) is working to harness fusion on Earth, with the goal of designing power plants that can emit zero carbon, operate safely, and are extremely power dense.
Achieving fusion is difficult because it only occurs when matter is in the form of plasma—a superheated, ionized gas. Without the gravitational strength of a star, MIT scientists rely on magnetic fields and other techniques to produce the reaction. In this forum session led by MIT Professors Nuno Loureiro and Zach Hartwig, you’ll gain new insights into the science of fusion and the search for fusion power—and discover how MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center is leading the charge toward a new era of energy.
![MIT Holiday Greeting 2023 - with Audio Description [AD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GlIF6y2DNNI/mqdefault.jpg "MIT Holiday Greeting 2023 - with Audio Description [AD]
Happy Holidays from MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Professor Danny Lew!
View the video without audio description: https://youtu.be/hXrTLWMhbHQ
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2023 MIT Holiday Greeting team
Creative director: Emily Muldoon Kathan
Core team: Brielle Domings, Brian Geer
Animation: kerpy
Email and digital production: Russell Boulais, Greg Bourne, Gina DAllesandro, Emily Dufresne, Julie Fox, Karla Casey, Kimberly Mancino, Kathryn ONeill, Kate Repantis, Steve Thomas, Margaret Wong, and Mikko Zager
And MIT Alumni Association Chief Executive Officer Whitney T. Espich
#audiodescription")
