Free resources to learn fusion.
Curated videos, courses, simulators, textbooks and classroom resources. Filter by level to find what fits.
💡 Tip: Newcomer needs no physics · Student suits high-school/undergrad · Advanced is grad & professional
Video explainers
Start at the top; these assume no physics.
Nuclear Fusion in 5 Levels of Difficulty
WIRED · Prof. Anne White (MIT)
A fusion scientist explains the same idea to a child, a teen, a college student, a grad student and an expert. A great place to start.
Fusion Power Explained – Future or Failure
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
An animated overview of how fusion works, with an honest look at whether it can power the world.
ITER in Five Minutes
ITER Organization (official)
A quick tour of the world’s largest fusion experiment and the idea behind magnetic confinement.
What is a Plasma?
Tokamak Energy
A two-minute primer on plasma, the fourth state of matter and where fusion happens.
Nuclear Fusion — Explained
U.S. NSF · Plasma physicist Slava Lukin
A clear walkthrough of what fusion is and why it is so hard to do on Earth.
What is Nuclear Fusion? (for younger kids)
Dr. Binocs Show · Peekaboo Kidz
A colorful explainer aimed at elementary and middle-school students and their families.
The Final Barrier to (Nearly) Infinite Energy
PBS Space Time
A rigorous but accessible look at the physics between us and practical fusion power.
Nuclear fusion (full topic)
Khan Academy
Free, bite-sized lessons connecting fusion to binding energy and the physics of stars.
David Kirtley: Fusion, Plasma Physics & the Future of Energy
Lex Fridman Podcast #485
A long-form conversation with a fusion-company founder on the science, engineering and business of fusion.
Introduction to Plasma Physics: Magnetohydrodynamics
Matthew Kunz · Institute for Advanced Study
A university lecture on the MHD description of plasmas, the backbone of confinement theory.
MIPSE Seminar Series
University of Michigan
An archive of recorded seminars where plasma scientists present current research; a look at the working field.
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Free courses & lectures
Full university courses, lecture notes and learning hubs, all free to use.
Introduction to Plasma Physics I (22.611J)
MIT OpenCourseWare
Full graduate course: particle motion in magnetic fields, confinement schemes, MHD and kinetic theory. Free notes & problem sets.
Seminar: Fusion and Plasma Physics (22.012)
MIT OpenCourseWare
Survey of fusion engineering and confinement concepts with the economic and ecological case for fusion; gentler than the full course.
Princeton Program in Plasma Physics — Courses
Princeton University / PPPL
The course catalog and lecture material from one of the world’s leading plasma graduate programs.
Understand Energy: Fusion Learning Hub
Stanford University
A clear, well-sourced primer on how fusion works and where it fits in the clean-energy landscape.
FuseNet — European fusion education
FuseNet Association
Courses, the METIS plasma simulator, internships and a Master’s/PhD event calendar for fusion students across Europe.
U.S. Fusion Energy — Fundamentals
U.S. Fusion Energy
A clear learning hub covering what fusion is, why it matters, the science, its history and the four approaches, plus an easy front door to U.S. fusion.
Awesome Plasma Physics Courses
Community list (GitHub)
A curated index of free university courses with lecture notes, problem sets and exams for studying plasma in depth.
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Interactive simulators
Build a plasma and drive a tokamak in your browser.
IPPEX Virtual Tokamak
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab
Drive a simulated tokamak: tune density, magnetic field and heating, then watch your 20-second plasma "shot" evolve.
fusionsimulator.io
Open-source community
A real-time, in-browser tokamak simulator with ITER, JET and DIII-D presets, transport modelling and a 3D view.
Fusion Power Plant Simulator
Fusion Energy Base
Adjust a notional fusion power plant (physics, engineering and cost levers) and see how each design choice affects the price of electricity.
METIS Plasma Simulator
CEA / FuseNet
A simplified but accurate tokamak transport model used in teaching; shows how a real plasma scenario is built.
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Textbooks & deep reads
The standard texts and reliable introductions for going deeper.
The Star Builders
Arthur Turrell
A working plasma physicist’s tour of the global race to build a star on Earth. A good popular starting point.
A Piece of the Sun
Daniel Clery
A science journalist’s history of fusion: the people, rivalries and machines behind the 70-year effort.
Fusion: The Energy of the Universe
Garry McCracken & Peter Stott
A clear, well-illustrated introduction to fusion science and its history from two veteran researchers.
The Future of Fusion Energy
Jason Parisi & Justin Ball
Two researchers explain, accessibly but rigorously, how fusion works and what it will take to build power plants.
Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy
Jeffrey P. Freidberg
A comprehensive graduate textbook linking plasma physics to fusion reactor design; a modern standard.
Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Francis F. Chen (the classic text)
The standard first textbook for the field. The publisher offers sample chapters and many universities post lecture notes built on it.
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Teacher & K-12 resources
Classroom-ready lessons, activities and professional development.
PPPL Science Education — K-12
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab
Classroom-ready lessons, hands-on activities, teacher workshops and career pathways into plasma & fusion.
U.S. Fusion Energy — Resources for K-12
U.S. Fusion Outreach
A curated set of fusion explainers, activities and videos for younger students.
BLOSSOMS: Plasma — the Fourth State of Matter
MIT BLOSSOMS
A free, ready-to-teach interactive video lesson with worksheets and in-class activities comparing the four states of matter.
APS Division of Plasma Physics — Outreach
American Physical Society
Middle- and high-school plasma lesson plans plus posters and demos from the professional plasma community.
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