Texas A&M Institute part of national effort to harness nuclear laser fusion for limitless energy

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On the heels of announcing a $45 million program for IFE fusion energy development in May, the U.S. Department of Energy unveiled a $42 million program establishing three new hubs to advance foundational IFE science and technology. Texas A&M’s Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering (IQSE) is a major player in one of the multi-million-dollar hubs, known as RISE, which will be led by Colorado State University and dedicated to advancing laser-driven fusion energy.

“The RISE hub will become a center of excellence for IFE science and technology to support the DOE’s mission in IFE,” said Dr. Marlan Scully, a University Distinguished Professor and IQSE director.

The DOE investments in IFE science and technology will enable RISE hub researchers to build on the momentum of that 2022 Livermore Lab breakthrough. The RISE hub brings together leading institutions in the U.S. and innovative private fusion companies, along with their unique complementary skills, to synergistically work together to achieve scientific milestones in making fusion energy a commercial reality and to grow the much-needed diverse workforce in fusion.

Researchers from IQSE are joined by scientists and engineers from University of Illinois, Cornell University, Colorado State University, the DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Naval Research Laboratory and three companies: Marvel Fusion, Xcimer Energy and General Atomics.

“The IQSE was built by the visionary Chancellor’s Research Initiative program started by [Texas A&M University System] Chancellor John Sharp,” said Dr. Alexei Sokolov, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and IQSE associate director. “We look forward to bringing the IQSE expertise in exotic laser physics to bear on the laser-fusion promise.”