Nobel laureate enters fray to generate energy using nuclear fusion

To initiate fusion ignition, researchers must heat the fuel to over a million degrees Celsius, a feat they have accomplished using various methods. However, the main challenges lie in sustaining the reaction and producing more energy than is consumed during the fusion process.

Two approaches to sustain nuclear fusion

Nuclear scientists have used two major approaches in their attempts to sustain a fusion reaction. One involves the use of magnetic confinement where the fuel in its plasma state is held in a torus or doughnut shape by powerful magnets. The approach has led to the development of tokamak reactors and has seen a lot of involvement from companies and venture capital.

In their quest to sustain a fusion reaction, nuclear scientists have pursued two primary approaches.

The first involves magnetic confinement, where the fuel in its plasma state is held within a torus or doughnut shape using powerful magnets. This approach has led to the creation of tokamak reactors and has garnered significant interest and investment from companies and venture capital.

The other is to use lasers and fire them in rapid succession. The drawback of the approach, however, is that large equipment is unable to fire lasers in continuous mode whereas small equipment cannot generate outputs high enough to ignite fusion fuel. This is where Blue Laser Fusion thinks, it can make a difference.

Nuclear fusion powered by lasers

Nakamura, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work on the development of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), believes that his company can harness their semiconductor expertise to create a secure pathway for achieving nuclear fusion and transforming it into a commercially viable venture.

The precise details of the approach remain undisclosed as Blue Laser Fusion currently has a pending patent.

However, Nakamura is confident in the feasibility of constructing rapid-fire lasers and envisions the establishment of a one-gigawatt generating reactor in either Japan or the US by the end of the decade. Prior to that milestone, the company intends to construct a small-scale experimental plant in Japan before the conclusion of the next year, as reported by Nikkei.

In the few months since its inception, Blue Laser Fusion has filed more than a dozen patent applications in the US and other countries. The company is also looking at boron instead of deuterium as a fuel for its fusion reactors. As per the company's claims, boron, when used as a fuel, does not produce harmful neutrons, making it a more favorable choice.

Blue Laser Fusion is also teaming up with other Japanese companies such as Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions, a maker of turbines for nuclear power plants, and Tokyo-based YUKI Holdings, which provides metal processing services.

In December 2022, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US successfully demonstrated the use of lasers for generating more energy from a nuclear fusion process. Nonetheless, the accomplishment was only momentary, and for Blue Laser Fusion to become commercially viable, they must demonstrate sustained capabilities over extended periods.