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TECHNOLOGY · TechnologyConfinement approaches

Laser fusion

Official name
Laser-driven inertial-confinement fusion
ENGLISH
Laser fusion

Lasers compress and heat tiny fuel targets. For power generation, integrating high-repetition-rate irradiation with target supply is a challenge.

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A terminology guide explaining meaning and role.Checked: 2026-10-08。
Glossary
Conceptual indirect and direct drive. Left: laser to the hohlraum wall, then X-rays to the fuel capsule. Right: direct laser irradiation of the capsule.
Indirect drive uses X-rays produced in a hohlraum; direct drive aims lasers at the capsule surface. Beam counts and dimensions are simplified in this schematic.FUSION INDUSTRY editorial team — original diagram

Lasers compress and heat tiny fuel targets. For power generation, integrating high-repetition-rate irradiation with target supply is a challenge.

Business considerations

Consider manufacturing repeatability, maintenance, quality assurance and supply availability alongside individual performance. Check the reactor's overall objectives and the scope demonstrated for each component.

Interior of NIF’s spherical target chamber under blue-green lighting, with the target positioner extending toward the centre.
View upward into NIF’s target chamber, with the target positioner extending to its centre. Photographed July 2008; not an image taken during ignition.Photo: Philip Saltonstall / Lawrence Livermore National Security, “National Ignition Facility’s target chamber”, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Understanding the organizations and companies

Laser-fusion research covers implosion and ignition physics, efficient light sources, target mass production and supply, and repeated irradiation. NIF's target gain and Hamamatsu Photonics/EX-Fusion's continuous irradiation of simulated targets answer different questions. Distinguishing them properly makes it easier to identify where optical and precision-manufacturing technologies fit into the process.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) / University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics / Osaka University Institute of Laser Engineering / Hamamatsu Photonics / EX-Fusion / LLNL Livermore Institute for Fusion Technology

Official information from related companies and research institutions

Check each organization’s announcements for development progress and technical documentation.

Sources and primary documents

Checked：2026-10-08

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Laser fusion