--- title: "MIT Researchers Say Their Fusion Reactor Is “Very Likely to Work”" description: "MIT researchers claim their \"SPARC\" compact nuclear fusion reactor should work in theory. Find out what their series of papers say." date: "2020-09-29" modified: "2020-10-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/mit-researchers-fusion-reactor-very-likely-work" categories: - "Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "fusion" - "fusion energy" - "mit" --- # MIT Researchers Say Their Fusion Reactor Is “Very Likely to Work” ![A team of researchers at MIT claim their "SPARC" compact fusion reactor should work — or at least in theory, as they argue in a series of papers.]() *\Image: MIT\* A team of researchers at MIT and other institutions say their "SPARC" compact fusion reactor [should actually work]() — at least in theory, as they argue in a series of recently released research papers. In a total of [seven papers]() penned by 47 researchers from 12 institutions, the team argues that no unexpected impediments or surprises have shown up during the planning stages. In other words, the research "confirms that the design we’re working on is very likely to work," Martin Greenwald, deputy director of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center and project lead, [told *The New York Times*](). Fusion power remains elusive, but the tech promises to one day become a safe and clean way of producing energy by fusing atomic nuclei together like the Sun. Despite almost a century of research, though, nobody has managed to pull it off yet. SPARC, one of the largest privately funded project of its kind in the field, would be a first of its kind: a "burning plasma" reactor that fuses hydrogen isotopes to form helium, with no other input of energy needed. Thanks to progress in the field of superconducting magnets, the team hopes to achieve the same performance as far larger reactors, such as the gigantic ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) reactor, which [started assembly]() in July. The magnets are used to contain the extremely hot and high pressure reactions going on inside the reactor, one of fusion's greatest challenges. According to the team's calculations, SPARC should be able to produce twice as much fusion energy compared to the amount needed to generate the reaction. That would be a massive jump, since no researchers have managed to break even yet. In fact, in the papers, the researchers note it could be theoretically possible to generate ten times the amount — though there's plenty of work ahead before they could say that for sure. The MIT team is hoping to construct its compact reactor over the next three to four years, with the eventual goal of generating electricity starting in 2035, the *Times* reports. "What we're trying to do is put the project on the firmest possible physics basis, so that we're confident about how it's going to perform, and then to provide guidance and answer questions for the engineering design as it proceeds," Greenwald said in an [official statement](). **READ MORE:** [Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is ‘Very Likely to Work,’ Studies Suggest]() \[*The New York Times*\] **More on fusion:** *[Scientists Start Construction of World’s Largest Fusion Reactor]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()