Princeton Plasma Physics Lab open house draws 2,000 visitors

The chance to tour a fusion machine and get a close look at work that aims to develop a new energy source brought about 2,000 visitors to a recent open house at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).

The children and adults who attended the June 12 open house toured the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), a nuclear fusion device; learned about the physics behind sports; participated in tabletop demonstrations about electromagnetism, thermodynamics and common plasmas; and took part in hands-on safety activities.

"We had a great time showing our laboratory to our neighbors, entertaining children with our science, and explaining fusion energy," said PPPL Director Rob Goldston.

The PPPL, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University, is a collaborative national center for science and innovation leading to an attractive fusion energy source.

Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars. In the interior of stars, matter is converted into energy by the fusion, or joining, of the nuclei of light atoms to form heavier elements. Efforts to control and harness that reaction is the focus of research at the PPPL

The open house was part of the laboratory's extensive outreach and science education programs. John DeLooper, associate director of external affairs, said, "An open house lets us show the community what we do at PPPL and spread the message about fusion. Our staff, students and guests all had a great time together."

Guests talked to PPPL researchers about fusion and the laboratory's progress while taking self-guided tours of the NSTX, smaller experimental areas and the test cell where a new experimental facility, the National Compact Stellarator Experiment, will be built.

Other activities included cryogenics demonstrations, which showed how ordinary objects behave in strange ways when cooled to the temperature of liquid nitrogen (negative 320 degrees Fahrenheit), and tours of the Hall Thruster, a plasma-based propulsion system for space vehicles such as satellites. Other popular features included Goldston's lecture on "Lighting a Star on Earth" and fire extinguisher training. Visitors also viewed energy and plasma-related exhibits, as well as displays about PPPL departments and activities.