Many fusion projects build machines shaped like a donut, such as tokamaks and stellarators. These machines are incredibly complex and expensive. While their research is essential for the field, OpenStar is pursuing a simpler, more affordable path to commercial energy.
OpenStar uses a design called a levitated dipole, first proposed in 1987 and later developed through a collaboration between MIT and Columbia University from 1998 to 2014.
The concept draws from nature. Earth's magnetic field curves around the planet in a dipole shape, elegantly confining charged particles. OpenStar replicates this magnetic configuration inside its machine.
At the heart of the machine is a powerful magnet that floats freely in a vacuum chamber, held in place by another magnet above it. It levitates in order to confine the plasma around it, meaning no support structures interfere with the super-heated gas. This makes the design potentially simpler, cheaper, and easier to maintain than conventional approaches.