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Technology Challenges & Gaps
Lasers
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How can laser drivers achieve >10–15% wall-plug efficiency while reliably operating at 1–10 Hz? -
How can laser optics and coatings withstand high fluence and harsh fusion environments for billions of shots without significant degradation or damage?
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How can laser systems be manufactured and operated economically at scale, particularly by reducing diode-pump and optics costs while maintaining performance and reliability?
Technology Challenges & Gaps
Pulsed Power
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How can pulsed-power drivers deliver multi-megaampere pulses repeatedly (~0.1 Hz or higher) while maintaining the reliability and component lifetime required for a commercial power plant?
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How can recyclable or replaceable transmission lines efficiently deliver extremely high currents to each fusion target while being rapidly installed, electrically connected, and recycled after every fusion shot?
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How can pulsed-power systems be scaled to reactor-level energies and currents while maintaining high electrical efficiency, low capital cost, and economical operation and maintenance?
Technology Challenges & Gaps
Heavy Ions
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How can heavy-ion accelerators generate, accelerate, compress, and transport high-current, low-emittance ion beams while controlling space-charge effects and beam instabilities?
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How can multiple heavy-ion beams be focused onto millimeter-scale spots and accurately delivered to the target while maintaining beam quality and achieving the required energy-deposition uniformity?
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How can heavy-ion accelerator drivers be scaled to multi-MJ energies at reactor repetition rates while achieving high electrical efficiency, reliability, and economically viable capital costs?
