Intense light-ion beams provide a robust, common-driver path toward ignition, gain, and commercial fusion energy

Abstract

Intense light-ion beams are being developed for investigations of inertial confinement fusion (ICF). This effort has concentrated on developing the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II (PBFA II) at Sandia as a driver for ICF target experiments, on design concepts for a high-yield, high-gain Laboratory Microfusion Facility (LMF), and on a comprehensive system study of a light-ion beam-driven commercial fusion reactor (LIBRA). This article reports on the status of design concepts and research in these areas.