We have ignition — fusion ignition

The US Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have announced the achievement of fusion ignition, describing it as a major scientific breakthrough decades in the making that will pave the way for advancements in defence and the future of clean power.

Fusion is the process by which two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy. In the 1960s, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California hypothesised that lasers could be used to induce fusion in a laboratory setting. Led by physicist John Nuckolls, who later served as LLNL director, this revolutionary idea became inertial confinement fusion, kicking off more than 60 years of research and development in lasers, optics, diagnostics, target fabrication, computer modelling and simulation, and experimental design.

The lab built a series of increasingly powerful laser systems, leading to the creation of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) — known as the world’s largest and most energetic laser system. The NIF is the size of a sports stadium and uses powerful laser beams to create temperatures and pressures like those in the cores of stars and giant planets, and inside exploding nuclear weapons.

On 5 December 2022, NIF scientists conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history known to reach fusion ignition, also known as scientific energy breakeven, meaning it produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. This achievement is expected to provide unprecedented capability to support the NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship Program as well as invaluable insights into the prospects of clean fusion energy, which would accelerate efforts to achieve a net-zero carbon economy.

LLNL’s experiment surpassed the fusion threshold by delivering 2.05 MJ of energy to the target, resulting in 3.15 MJ of fusion energy output, demonstrating a most fundamental science basis for inertial fusion energy (IFE). Many advanced science and technology developments are still needed to achieve simple, affordable IFE to power homes and businesses, and DOE is currently restarting a broad-based, coordinated IFE program in the United States.

“I am thrilled that NIF — the United States’ most cutting-edge nuclear research facility — has achieved fusion ignition, potentially providing for a new clean and sustainable energy source in the future,” said US Representative Eric Swalwell. “This breakthrough will ensure the safety and reliability of our nuclear stockpile, open new frontiers in science, and enable progress toward new ways to power our homes and offices in future decades.”

“This astonishing scientific advance puts us on the precipice of a future no longer reliant on fossil fuels but instead powered by new clean fusion energy,” added US Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. “I commend Lawrence Livermore National Labs and its partners in our nation’s Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program, including the University of Rochester’s Lab for Laser Energetics in New York, for achieving this breakthrough.

“Making this future clean energy world a reality will require our physicists, innovative workers and brightest minds at our DOE-funded institutions, including the Rochester Laser Lab, to double down on their cutting-edge work. That’s why I’m also proud to announce today that I’ve helped to secure the highest ever authorisation of over $624 million this year in the National Defense Authorization Act for the ICF program to build on this amazing breakthrough.”

Also commenting on the news was Dr Warren McKenzie, founder and MD of Australian laser fusion company HB11 Energy. He said the breakthrough is as significant to the global energy industry as the first moon landing was for the space industry, as it finally unlocks the prospect of unlimited clean energy.

“The National Ignition Facility result is also significant because it shows that lasers, rather than magnetic confinement, may be the fastest pathway to commercial and scalable fusion energy production,” McKenzie said.

“This is why we are today announcing that HB11 Energy has created a coalition of global laser technology heavyweights to kickstart a new high-power laser industry, including by developing a petawatt-class laser facility on Australian soil,” he said. Petawatt-class lasers have a range of applications beyond fusion energy — including medical imaging and radiobiology, advanced sensing, directed energy and the elimination of long-lived radioactive waste — so establishing a local petawatt laser facility would expand critical research while also creating new industrial opportunities, international partnerships, industries and applications, according to HB11 Energy.

McKenzie said the new consortium will see Australia pioneer many new areas of technology, including clean fusion energy generation, sovereign advanced manufacturing capability, and ultrashort and short pulse laser (USPL) education and talent. It will include, among others, engineering multinational Thales Group, Japanese laser fusion company EX-Fusion, the University of Adelaide, the Institute of Laser Engineering at Osaka University, engineering firm BECA and laser component manufacturer Southern Photonics.

The goals of the coalition are as follows:

• Achieve Australian petawatt laser capability, as an internationally significant research infrastructure investment;
• Build the partners’ capabilities for participation in large scientific partnerships, including public–private partnerships (PPPs) for laser fusion energy;
• Develop applications for USPL systems, including directed energy and laser fusion for clean energy generation;
• Identify laser design, engineering and development opportunities as a focus for investment, and acquire an Australian petawatt laser;
• Establish a local sovereign advanced manufacturing industry for key components of USPL systems; and
• Build a workforce of experts in USPL science, design and manufacture as a foundation to grow the emerging industry.
   

“Australia needs a large-scale solution as it phases out its legacy energy systems and embraces clean energy,” McKenzie said. “This is exactly what fusion energy can provide: clean energy that does not use any radioactive fuels and does not generate radioactive waste. It has the scale of a nuclear reactor and the safety of traditional renewable sources, while also generating electricity directly, without the requirement of a steam cycle.

“Recent breakthroughs have propelled laser-based fusion to the front of the global race towards this holy grail of energy generation. However, the lack of lasers capable of performing fusion experiments is the primary bottleneck limiting progress globally.

“This presents an opportunity for Australia to develop the next-generation of purpose-built laser systems and advanced manufacturing that would also see Australia become a global leader in fusion energy science, amongst our allies UK, US and Japan.”

Image caption: To create fusion ignition, the National Ignition Facility’s laser energy is converted into X-rays inside the hohlraum, which then compress a fuel capsule until it implodes, creating a high-temperature, high-pressure plasma.

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