The PUFFIN group is dedicated to the study of fundamental plasma process which are vital to understanding astrophysical objects, and for achieving controlled nuclear fusion on Earth. You can find a brief video overview of our research here.

PUFFIN is a new pulsed-power facility soon to be operating at the Laboratory of Plasma Studies at Cornell University. PUFFIN (the PUlser For Fundamental INvestigations) uses intense pulses of electrical current to heat initially solid loads made from thin wires or foils to a high-energy-density (HED) plasma state. PUFFIN was constructed and commissioned at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC).

The plasmas produced by PUFFIN will be accelerated by the strong magnetic fields generated by the intense currents, creating long-lasting flows of magnetized plasma which mimic the extreme conditions found in astrophysical objects and controlled nuclear fusion concepts. We will use PUFFIN to carry out research into fundamental plasma processes, such as magnetic reconnection and magneto-hydrodynamic turbulence, which underpin events such as solar flares and the transport of matter in the accretions disks of black holes. The same physical processes are important in magnetized target fusion, a hybrid between the mainstream magnetically confined and inertially confined fusion concepts.

You can find out about the latest progress on PUFFIN and our other experiments at our News page. The PUFFIN group is grateful for funding from the NSF, the NNSA, and ARPA-E.