The “gun” compresses hydrogen gas, which smashes a piston through a metal seal. This fires a projectile at 4.3 miles (6.9 km) per second into a vacuum chamber, hitting a falling nuclear fusion fuel pellet.
Inspired by the pistol shrimp, the process produces the conditions required for nuclei to fuse together. First Light Fusion’s technology has passed several key tests, including breaking a pressure record last year.
Will this be a trend for the wider fusion industry?
Despite the potential of its relatively low-cost method, First Light Fusion has restrategized to drive revenue.
In a press statement, it explains that “advancements in First Light’s proprietary amplifier technology, combined with progress in the wider inertial fusion energy (IFE) sector, has provided an opportunity for the company to shift its business strategy, to capitalize on the huge IFE market opportunities enabling earlier revenues and lowering the long-term funding requirement.”