Good news!
"Fusion startup Xcimer Energy on Wednesday flipped the switch on its Phoenix laser system, which the company says is the largest privately owned example in the world.
Xcimer’s approach to fusion power is modeled after the National Ignition Facility (NIF), which proved in December 2022 that a controlled fusion reaction could release more power than required to ignite it. ...
Xcimer’s plans for a fusion power plant call for two lasers capable of firing in microsecond-long pulses. Light from those pulses will be fed through a compression system, of sorts, which will delivers the lasers’ energy to the fuel target in nanoseconds. The quicker the fuel is compressed, the more likely it is to generate usable fusion reactions.
Phoenix is a step toward an eventual power plant. The system uses excimer amplification, similar to those used in semiconductor manufacturing but significantly more powerful. At full strength, the krypton-fluoride laser generates over 1 kilojoule of energy ... and its core is 38 meters long. ..."
"... What comes next
Phoenix is the first step in Xcimer’s roadmap toward commercial fusion energy.
- Anvil (2028): Commercial-scale excimer amplifier delivering 200 kilojoules on target in a complete two-sided beamline.
- Vulcan (early 2030s): 4–12 megajoule laser system targeting wall-plug breakeven and supporting high-energy-density and national-security applications. Xcimer expects to select a Vulcan site this year.
- Athena (mid-2030s): Commercial-scale laser fusion power plant designed for continuous grid-scale electricity generation.
..."
Xcimer Energy announces the start of operations for Phoenix, a prototype system for industrial-scale laser fusion architecture (original news release)
Scientist adjusts laser optics at Xcimer Energy in Denver, Colorado.
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