A 17-year-old school student, Cesare Mencarini, has achieved a remarkable feat by building a small nuclear fusion reactor as part of his A-Level project. This achievement is notable not only because it’s the first time a nuclear reactor was built in a school environment but also because Mencarini successfully created plasma conditions required for fusion.
Mencarini’s reactor aimed to generate neutrons and achieve plasma, which it did after 18 months of hard work. The student was initially met with concerns from his teachers about the potential dangers of the project, but he convinced them by conducting thorough risk assessments and demonstrating his commitment to the project.
The goal of Mencarini’s reactor is to create conditions necessary for fusion, although it didn’t achieve the same pressure as the Sun due to its own gravity. To overcome this limitation, the student used high voltage to make atoms hot enough. The reactor achieved plasma in June, and Mencarini is proud of his achievement.
Mencarini’s outstanding work ethic has earned him an A* in his A-Level results and a special recognition from his college principal, Dr. Julian Davies. The teenager plans to apply for a degree in engineering and hopes to work at the University of Bristol’s Interface and Analysis Centre.
Source: https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-reactor-by-teenager-achieved-plasma