A Theoretical Physicist — Now a Fusion Leader: Dr. Swadesh Mahajan, Co-Founder of ExoFusion
Dr. Swadesh Mahajan, Co-Founder of ExoFusion, has transitioned from a distinguished 50-year career as a physics theoretician to spearheading advancements in commercial fusion. His deep expertise in fusion physics, combined with a commitment to solving critical energy challenges, drives ExoFusion’s mission to make commercially viable nuclear fusion a reality. Inspired by breakthroughs in 21st-century physics and the collaborative power of public-private partnerships, Dr. Mahajan has dedicated himself to harnessing fusion energy to address global energy needs and combat climate change.
Some edited excerpts:
As a Physics theoretician for 50 years, you have moved into commercial fusion. Why?
The Physics of fusion was always on my agenda, but Commercial Fusion was not explicitly so during much of my earlier career as a basic foundational physicist. It was Dr. Mike Kotschenreuther who, with his immense knowledge of physics, engineering and technology, aroused my interest in working towards making fusion a reality- that is to do everything to drive nuclear fusion into the big energy game. Some of our earlier work was to bring fusion to the market not as a direct source of energy, but to help Nuclear Fission (with a very well understood safe technology) in solving some of its fundamental problems (nuclear waste and eventual shortage of fissionable material.) One must appreciate that Nuclear fusion is a bountiful source of energy as well as neutrons; the latter can be harnessed for transformative nuclear reactions that , for instance, breed fissionable fuel from fertile materials.
My great joy, of course, came when we discovered that deeper understanding and exploitation of new physics (what we call 21st century fusion physics) can help us boost plasma confinement to such a degree that one could envisage an era of commercial fusion with greater confidence. Since then, Commercially Viable Fusion has become an encompassing pursuit.
What is “NOW” the best time for Commercially Viable Fusion?
It is not that now is simply the best time for Commercially Viable nuclear fusion- now is in fact the first time that we can think comprehensively of the entire edifice of a fusion industry. It has happened because several breakthroughs in Physics, technology, and material science can be strung together towards conceptualizing and building ( in near term) a commercially sustainable fusion reactor. It has taken a long and extended research and development program to arrive at this stage. A key element in “now” is the active and aggressive involvement of Private industry ( building on what was done in Government Labs) that have infused the program with raw energy and enthusiasm. We must remember, however, that despite a few recent advances (high-temperature superconducting magnets, liquid metals components, advances in the understanding of confinement physics–), it has been the relentless hard work of many driven and inspired scientists that has ushered in the “Now”.
What are the larger goals of the fusion project?
The Fusion enterprise is far too broad and diffuse to have very well-defined common goals apart from the overarching goal of producing clean and sustainable energy via nuclear fusion and hopefully, at prices that are affordable. Given our need/hunger for energy, and the globally harmful consequences of continued use of fossil fuels, our baseload energy source needs to be replaced. Fusion may be the only such source on the horizon that can rise to meet our needs and still keep the earth livable- Perhaps, one could dare to say that the largest goal of the “fusion project” is to save the earth by stemming global warming.
What is the role of Public-Private partnership in the path to CVF?
It is critical –as is being demonstrated every day. It is not just their partnership; it is also the different working philosophies the two sectors bring to the fore. And it is a combination of the individual and collective attempts to solve problems that makes a winning recipe.
What excites you most about ExoFusion?
Bringing new ideas to the Fusion enterprise has been our hallmark and it is somewhat unusual for a small startup. That basic physics investigations can be translated into creating a path for optimal design is a very heady idea for a theoretical physicist. It is extremely exciting that a very large number of state-of-the-art experiments find our physics /technology input useful. We will likely not build a machine of our own, but we are poised to enable (in essential ways) many current and future experiments. Seeing large parts of the fusion ecosystem appreciating and adopting our ideas encourages us to be even more creative.
