Basic Research Needs Workshop on Inertial Fusion Energy
June 21st - 23rd, 2022
This workshop will be held virtually.
Registration Deadline: June 21, 2022
About the Event
Fusion, the process that powers the Sun, has the potential to provide a reliable, limitless, safe, and clean energy source. The development of fusion energy is a grand scientific and technical challenge that requires diverse approaches and paths to maximize the likelihood of success. Currently, the main approach pursued by the U.S. Fusion Energy Science program is Magnetic Fusion Energy (MFE). Another highly promising approach is known as Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE). The 2013 NASEM report entitled “An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy” concluded that “The appropriate time for the establishment of a national, coordinated, broad-based inertial fusion energy program within DOE would be when ignition is achieved”. In 2021, the National Ignition Facility achieved a record yield of more than 1.3 megajoules (MJ) from fusion reactions, placing fusion via the inertial confinement concept on the cusp of ignition (laser energy breakeven). This breakthrough result coupled with the recent Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee recommendation to establish an IFE program provides a motivation for a Basic Research Needs Workshop (BRN) sponsored by the DOE Office of Science to assess the status of IFE and outline science and technology priority research opportunities.
