- First Light’s unique amplifier technology has unlocked record-breaking pressures in quartz on the Z Machine
- Sandia National Laboratories[1] is home to the Z Machine, the world’s largest and most powerful pulsed power machine
- The successful campaign demonstrates the applicability of First Light’s unique technology on other driver platforms and opens up new research opportunities in fusion, defense and space
17 MARCH 2025; Oxford, UK & Albuquerque, US: First Light Fusion (“First Light”), the UK inertial fusion pioneer, has set a new record for the highest quartz pressure achieved on the ‘Z Machine’ at Sandia National Laboratories (“Sandia”) in the US.
First Light used its unique amplifier technology on the Z Machine and achieved an output pressure of 3.67 terapascal (TPa) – equivalent to 10 times the pressure at the centre of the Earth. This doubles the previous record set by First Light in February 2024 of 1.85 TPa – in its first experiment on the machine.
The successful experiment conducted last month demonstrates the viability of First Light’s unique, proprietary technology on other research facilities and, critically, when driven by different types of projectiles and drivers. This work increases access to pressure regimes that will support vital materials science research in fusion, defence and space science.
The company’s experiments at Sandia form part of Sandia’s ‘Z Fundamental Science’ program which First Light joined in 2023. The programme enables potential academic and industry collaborators to propose basic science experiments on the Z machine. Proposals undergo a competitive review process involving non-Sandia referees, with the facility typically awarding about 14 shots per year. [First Light has further experiments at Sandia planned over the next 12 months.]
The Z Machine is the most powerful pulsed power facility in the world. With a peak power of 80 trillion watts, more than the world’s entire electricity grid, it electromagnetically launches projectiles to higher velocities than any other facility in the world. These are used to impact samples of material, in order to test their properties at extreme pressures. First Light has combined this incredible machine with its amplifier technology to break a long-standing pressure record for the facility.
The experiment was led by Dr Jon Skidmore and Dr Guy Burdiak, Principal Scientists at First Light, in collaboration with Sandia’s Pulsed Power Sciences Center department.
Dr Jon Skidmore, Principal Scientist at First Light Fusion, said:
“This significant breakthrough further validates FLF’s amplifier technology on the world’s most powerful pulsed power facility. The concept of target-based power amplification successfully demonstrated on the Z machine can enable a simpler and more cost-effective route to commercial fusion across multiple drivers.
“We look forward to continuing to push research boundaries though our collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories and the Z Fundamental Science Program.”
Dr Greg Rochau, Director of Pulsed Power Sciences (Center 1600) at Sandia National Laboratories, said:
“The Z Fundamental Science Program provides unique opportunities to partner with industry and academic institutions to advance our understanding of matter under extreme conditions.
“This tremendous achievement is a testament to the capabilities of FLF and a good example of how these collaborations are beneficial to the company, Sandia, our national security program, and the scientific community.”
[1] Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.
