Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
During my senior year at MSMS, I conducted research in nuclear fusion reactor simulations using Geant4, a nuclear physics simulation toolkit developed by CERN. By simulating fast neutron collisions, several lithium based ceramics showed promise for use as lithium breeders in tokamak reactors.
My research project won Best of Fair for the Mississippi Region V Science & Engineering Fair, and Best of State at the MSEF State Science Fair.
Left: Me presenting my research poster at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in L.A., May 2024
MSMS (contd.)
Also during my time at MSMS, I participated in joint MSMS-Mississippi State University research. With the supervision of Dr. Dutta and Dr. Crider of the MSU Nuclear Physics Department, I have been constructing an Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) reactor on MSU’s campus. Reactors of this type can achieve stable fusion with relatively low plasma density and confinement time, which limits their use to research and development. Energy cannot be generated from current IEC reactor designs. By constructing one of my own, I am gaining the skills and knowledge to accelerate research in other areas of fusion technology. This project is ongoing despite my graduation from MSMS.
Below: IEC reactor main chamber (left), roughing & turbo pump and HV power supply offscreen. Plasma produced by corona discharge (right) during a dry test of the HV feedthrough. Note that fusion will only occur under a vacuum significantly stronger than would allow for corona discharge effect. July 2024
UAB
At UAB, I am beginning research into the modeling and simulation of plasma plumes produced by laser ablation in semiconductor layer deposition. Laser ablation is closely related to laser ignition nuclear fusion, which is one of the most well-studied forms of thermonuclear fusion for energy production.