At Just 12, US Boy Builds Nuclear Fusion Reactor In His Room, Gets FBI Visit

A 12-year-old boy from Memphis, US, recently received an unexpected visit from the FBI after successfully building a nuclear fusion reactor in his bedroom. Mr Jackson shared his remarkable journey on X, revealing how he became determined to prove himself and achieved the impressive feat just before turning 13. His inspiration came from Taylor Wilson's TED talk, where Mr Wilson described achieving controlled nuclear fusion at age 14 in 2008. 

Mr Oswalt began his nuclear fusion journey by delving into the underlying science. He constructed a "demo fusor," a preliminary step towards building a functional fusion reactor. To fund this project, he relied on financial support from his parents. However, he acknowledged that the demo fusor was still far from a fully operational nuclear fusion reactor.

"But this was far from a working fusion reactor. If I ran this setup for more than a few minutes, the “grid” in the centre would melt and destroy itself. Clearly there was work to be done. I rebuilt the vacuum chamber, got a turbomolecular pump from eBay, sourced some Deuterium for fuel (somewhat legally) and rebuilt the inner grid from Tantalum," he wrote on X.

See the post here:

At 12 years old, I built a working nuclear fusion reactor in my bedroom.

I got a Guinness world record... and the FBI showed up to my house.

here's the story 🧵 pic.twitter.com/I9lFf5S9U4

— Jackson Oswalt (@JacksonOswalt) December 19, 2024

Mr Oswalt revealed that he sourced most of the parts for his reactor from eBay. After dedicating a year to building the complex device, he finally achieved success. He wrote, "After a handful of stressful tests just days before my 13th birthday, I successfully achieved fusion and detected these neutrons as proof!"

Jackson's remarkable accomplishment quickly gained widespread attention, earning him a Guinness World Record as the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion. His achievement was also verified by Fusor.net and renowned fusion expert Richard Hull.

Following widespread media attention, FBI agents visited Jackson's home to inspect for radiation. After conducting a thorough check and finding no radiation, the agents allowed Jackson to continue his scientific experiments without any restrictions.

"I received a Guinness World record for being the youngest person to achieve fusion and got my fair share of media attention. I also got some less fun attention: one Saturday I was woken up by two FBI agents, who made a quick sweep around my house with a Geiger counter to make sure all was good. Fortunately, I remained a free man," he added. 

The prodigy also had the opportunity to tour various startups and facilities across the country.