External Speaker: Dr Jon Skidmore, ex-PhD Student in the Plasma Physics Group, SPC Community.
Title: FLARE, First Light Fusion’s new approach to economically viable inertial fusion energy.
Abstract:
Fusion energy represents a potentially inexhaustible source of low-carbon power, yet despite sustained international investment and significant scientific progress, a commercially viable fusion pathway remains elusive.
This presentation introduces FLARE (Fusion via Low-power Assembly and Rapid Excitation), a new concept developed by First Light Fusion to address longstanding challenges in inertial fusion. FLARE approaches inertial fusion through three key principles: (1) a novel target architecture that decouples compression from heating, thereby reducing main driver power requirements whilst enabling higher energy gain; (2) low-power pulsed compression, which offers a simpler, lower-cost, and more efficient alternative to conventional high-power lasers; and (3) a liquid lithium pool reactor, designed to absorb neutrons, breed tritium, and shield structural components, thereby extending operational lifetime and improving both economic viability and engineering feasibility.
Together, these principles underpin an integrated, robust, and scalable system that offers a credible and economically viable pathway to inertial fusion energy.