Hassaan Khan ’20

Major

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Project Title

Clean Small Fusion Reactors

I learned a lot about plasma physics during the summer. The project I intended to do was on the Princeton Field Reversed Configuration (PFRC) and involved using fusion for space propulsion. However, the necessary equipment was not yet installed. Consequently, I worked in another lab utilizing the probes that I would eventually use on the PFRC research project. Unfortunately, the probe was never installed on the PFRC. Still, I learned a great deal about Langmuir probes and their function and data analysis. The primary activities I took part in were oscilloscope use and data analysis, including Fourier-transform analysis. I learned a ton about the oscilloscope and how to analyze the data it records. This internship helped me realize I am more of a practical person who likes to build and design components instead of just analyzing the data they record. On another note, I would recommend only rising juniors and seniors to take on this internship as the physics can be a bit intense.



Internship Year

2017

Project Category

Alternative Energy

Organization(s)

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

Mentor(s)

Samuel Cohen, Director of the Program in Plasma Science and Technology, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory