The Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering (IQSE) at Texas A&M is part of a national effort to harness nuclear laser fusion for limitless energy. The IQSE is a key player in the RISE hub, a multi-million-dollar project dedicated to advancing laser-driven fusion energy. The RISE hub is led by Colorado State University and includes researchers from the University of Illinois, Cornell University, the DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Naval Research Laboratory and three companies: Marvel Fusion, Xcimer Energy and General Atomics. The project aims to make fusion energy a commercial reality.
Texas A&M Institute’s Role in National Nuclear Laser Fusion Effort
The Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering (IQSE) at Texas A&M is playing a significant role in a national effort to harness nuclear laser fusion for limitless energy. The core members of the RISE Hub at Texas A&M include IQSE physicists Dr. Aleksei Zheltikov, Dr. Marlan Scully, Dr. Alexei Sokolov, and Dr. Zhenhuan Yi.
Nuclear fusion, the process that powers the sun, is considered the ultimate source of energy for all life on Earth. The challenge is to replicate this process on Earth in a controlled manner, which requires heating the fuel to more than 100 million degrees and maintaining these temperatures long enough for the energy produced by fusion to exceed the energy required to initiate and sustain the fusion reactions.
Inertial Fusion Energy: A Promising Approach
One of the most promising approaches to achieving this is Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE), which uses powerful lasers to heat a small target containing fusible material. Last winter, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Ignition Facility achieved a critical milestone in the development of IFE by demonstrating a net target gain with the fusion energy output exceeding the laser energy input.
Following the announcement of a $45 million program for IFE fusion energy development in May, the U.S. Department of Energy unveiled a $42 million program establishing three new hubs to advance foundational IFE science and technology. The IQSE at Texas A&M is a major player in one of these hubs, known as RISE, which is led by Colorado State University and dedicated to advancing laser-driven fusion energy.
The RISE Hub: A Center of Excellence for IFE Science and Technology
The RISE hub aims to become a center of excellence for IFE science and technology to support the DOE’s mission in IFE, according to Dr. Marlan Scully, a University Distinguished Professor and IQSE director. The DOE investments in IFE science and technology will enable RISE hub researchers to build on the momentum of the 2022 Livermore Lab breakthrough.
The RISE hub brings together leading institutions in the U.S. and innovative private fusion companies, along with their unique complementary skills, to work together to achieve scientific milestones in making fusion energy a commercial reality and to grow the much-needed diverse workforce in fusion.
Collaborative Efforts in the RISE Hub
Researchers from IQSE are joined by scientists and engineers from University of Illinois, Cornell University, Colorado State University, the DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Naval Research Laboratory and three companies: Marvel Fusion, Xcimer Energy and General Atomics.
Dr. Alexei Sokolov, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and IQSE associate director, expressed anticipation in bringing the IQSE expertise in exotic laser physics to bear on the laser-fusion promise.
The RISE Hub’s Future Plans and Funding
The RISE hub is funded by the DOE’s Office of Science, Fusion Energy Science through the DOE’s Inertial Fusion Energy Science and Technology Accelerator Research (IFE-STAR). The RISE hub plans to combine innovative target concepts with new developments in excimer gas lasers and solid-state laser drivers to open up novel IFE regimes. The hub will also prioritize the involvement of students and workforce development, and university-industry-national laboratory collaborations.
“The RISE hub will become a center of excellence for IFE science and technology to support the DOE’s mission in IFE,” said Dr. Marlan Scully, a University Distinguished Professor and IQSE director.
“The IQSE was built by the visionary Chancellor’s Research Initiative program started by [Texas A&M University System] Chancellor John Sharp,” said Dr. Alexei Sokolov, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and IQSE associate director. “We look forward to bringing the IQSE expertise in exotic laser physics to bear on the laser-fusion promise.”
Summary
The Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering at Texas A&M is part of a national effort to advance laser-driven fusion energy, a process that could provide limitless energy. This follows a significant milestone achieved by scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, who demonstrated a net gain in fusion energy output exceeding the laser energy input, marking a significant step towards making commercial fusion a reality.
- The Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering (IQSE) at Texas A&M is part of a national effort to harness nuclear laser fusion for limitless energy.
- Key IQSE physicists include Dr. Aleksei Zheltikov, Dr. Marlan Scully, Dr. Alexei Sokolov and Dr. Zhenhuan Yi.
- Nuclear fusion, the process that powers the sun, is being investigated as a potential energy source on Earth. This requires heating fuel to over 100 million degrees and maintaining these temperatures long enough for energy produced by fusion to exceed the energy required to initiate and sustain the reactions.
- Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE), one of the most promising approaches, uses powerful lasers to heat a small target containing fusible material.
- Last winter, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Ignition Facility achieved a milestone in IFE development by demonstrating a net target gain with the fusion energy output exceeding the laser energy input.
- The U.S. Department of Energy has unveiled a $42 million program establishing three new hubs to advance IFE science and technology. IQSE is a major player in one of these hubs, known as RISE, led by Colorado State University.
- The RISE hub will work with leading institutions and private fusion companies in the U.S., including the University of Illinois, Cornell University, Colorado State University, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Marvel Fusion, Xcimer Energy, and General Atomics.
- The RISE hub is funded by the DOE’s Office of Science, Fusion Energy Science through the DOE’s Inertial Fusion Energy Science and Technology Accelerator Research (IFE-STAR).