Fusion and Magnetic Reconnection Propulsion with Dr. Fatima Ebrahimi
From John Michael Godier's Event Horizon by John Michael Godier
April 17, 2026 · 34 min
About this episode
Dr. Fatima Ebrahimi discusses a new type of rocket thruster that utilizes magnetic reconnection for propulsion.
To get your free 30 day trial visit https://www.audible.com/eventhorizon or text EventHorizon to 500-500.A new type of rocket thruster that could take humankind to Mars and beyond has been proposed by Fatima Ebrahimi a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).The Plasma thruster would apply magnetic fields to cause particles of plasma, electrically charged gas also known as the fourth state of matter, to shoot out the back of a rocket and, because of the conservation of momentum, propel the craft forward. Current space-proven plasma thrusters use electric fields to propel the particles.The new concept would accelerate the particles using magnetic reconnection, a process found throughout the universe, including the surface of the sun, in which magnetic field lines converge, suddenly separate, and then join together again, producing lots of energy. Reconnection also occurs inside doughnut-shaped fusion devices known as tokamaks.The above text is from: New concept for rocket thruster exploits the mechanism behind solar flareshttps://www.pppl.gov/news/2021/01/new-concept-rocket-thruster-exploits-mechanism-behind-solar-flaresFatima…
People in this episode
Host: John Michael Godier
Guest: Dr. Fatima Ebrahimi
Topics covered
- rocket propulsion
- plasma physics
- magnetic reconnection
- space exploration
- fusion technology
Keywords
- rocket thruster
- plasma
- magnetic fields
- Mars
- energy production
- fusion devices
- tokamaks
Sponsors
Audible
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: U.S. Department of Energy, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University
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