Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) power plants would use high-power lasers to repeatedly trigger fusion ignition pulses from a steady stream of hydrogen fuel pellets. These pellets, containing the hydrogen isotopes of deuterium and tritium, are injected into the reaction chamber at rates approaching 600 per minute. The plant’s lasers converge precisely on each pellet, igniting the fuel. Since 2022, experiments at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility have achieved fusion ignition—including a net target gain greater than four—demonstrating significant progress and boosting prospects for the broader fusion ecosystem. Lasers are not the only potential drivers - pulsed power or heavy ion beams can also be used in IFE.
Magnetic Fusion Energy (MFE) power plants would use powerful magnetic fields usually generated by superconducting coils to confine an extended volume of superheated plasma within devices such as tokamaks or stellarators. These are designed to sustain fusion reactions for periods of several minutes, to hours, days, or longer. If an IFE power plant is comparable to a combustion engine, MFE functions more like an oven, maintaining steady conditions for ongoing energy generation. Magnetically confined alternatives to tokamaks and stellarators exist, including concepts that combine magnetic and inertial effects. Worldwide many countries, international organizations (e.g., ITER), and private companies are pursuing MFE concepts for fusion energy.
