Colorado State University recently partnered with the Munich-headquartered startup Marvel Fusion to develop a cutting-edge $150 million nuclear fusion laser center.
Nuclear fusion mimics how the sun creates heat, which produces minimal waste and avoids greenhouse gas emissions while generating limitless clean energy. This partnership marks another step in CSU’s path as an international leader in global sustainability efforts, underscoring the University’s dedication to prioritizing research, the environment and educational opportunities.
Scientists discovered the art of atom splitting long ago. Nuclear fission, which involves splitting radioactive atoms, allowed scientists to create an electricity source cleaner than
coal, though this energy came with significant drawbacks — namely, toxic radioactive waste. Its hazards make constructing traditional nuclear reactors prohibitively expensive and nearly unfeasible. Meanwhile, nuclear fusion harnesses heat by colliding atomic nuclei, allowing a relatively modest amount of energy to create a boundless, manageable power source without the burdens of radioactive waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
For the past decade, CSU has researched nuclear fusion at the Advanced Beam Laboratory at the CSU Foothills Campus,
hoping to usher in a new era of sustainable energy and laser fusion. The research facility was designed to capitalize on the synergies among laser, microwave, accelerator and light source technologies. It brings together research teams with expertise in accelerator science and technology and advanced laser
technology to generate extreme ultraviolet and x-ray emissions.
The new $150 million state-of-the-art facility will sit near the existing facility on the CSU Foothills Campus. The center will contain at least three laser systems, each boasting a multi- petawatt peak power and an astonishingly quick repetition rate of ten flashes per second. The facility will be purposefully designed to accommodate future expansion, allowing for the addition of more lasers. When it reaches
its targeted completion in 2026, it will be the only facility worldwide with this level of laser capability.
Fort Collins can play a pivotal role in laser fusion research and curbing global carbon emissions. In its statement announcing the partnership, Marvel Fusion wrote, “Fort Collins is poised to become home to one of the most powerful laser facilities in the world and an international epicenter for research into laser fusion energy and high-energy-density physics.”
Officials coordinating the partnership are particularly excited about how it will impact the University. CSU President Amy Parsons notes that this project will “cement the university as an international leader in an area of laser science,” allowing CSU to continue producing “profound benefits to our planet for generations.”
The new facility is also expected to offer CSU’s undergraduate and graduate students unparalleled research opportunities with access to cutting-edge laser technology. This, in turn, will enrich the educational landscape, paving the way for new courses, certificates, degree programs and research opportunities. Officials expect the new facility to attract top- tier faculty, researchers, graduate students and undergraduate students who hope to explore laser fusion and related fields.
“This is an exciting opportunity for laser- based science, a dream facility for discovery and advanced technology development with great potential for societal impact,” said Jorge Rocca, CSU’s Laboratory for Advanced Lasers and Extreme Photonics director.
