A multicollaborative approach to IFE facilitated by a computational approach to advanced target design

First Light Fusion have identified several fusion driver concepts, that have the potential to realise cost competitive IFE, enabled by our proprietary Amplifier technology. Our current technical strategy is to identify and solve the principal science and engineering challenges of these drivers and the powerplant fusion island, through a consortium of business partners. This approach spreads risk and allows First Light and their partners to fully contribute their unique attributes to realise fusion as a viable contribution to the addressable energy market.

First Lights Amplifier technology can reduce the power requirements on the drivers and simplify the challenges faced by the powerplant. We are currently working towards, conceptual sytems design of the drivers, and high gain driver agnostic target design aspects, coupled with our unique amplifier designs. Two of the drivers we are evaluating are pulsed power driven; a nested liner approach similar to the one of Colgate et al.[1] and an Electric Gun [2,3,4]

Amplifiers act as a shock focussing and shaping device, to drive a spherical fuel target. They are designed with our in-house computational science and engineering capabilities, a unique tool set and approach for industrial IFE. Our amplifiers have been used successfully to realise fusion on a high energy, low power driver, and to extend the operational range of existing pulsed power platforms for EoS studies.

[1] Colgate et al., LANL Technical Report. LA-UR-08-06915, Presentation to Sandia National Laboratory, October 30, (2008)

[2] R. Weingart et al., LLNL Techical. Report. UCRL-52752 TRN: 79-015919, (1979)

[3] M. Fitzgerald et al. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, Volume: 51, Issue: 8, p2347–2357 DOI: 10.1109/TPS.2023.3300093 (2023)

[4] M. Fitzgerald et al. International Journal of Impact Engineering, Volume 184, 104814 (2024)