Technology

APPROACH

We’re unlocking fast ignition, a two-step approach to fusion

INNOVATION

We build the functionality into the fuel system, not the machine

IMPACT

That means a simpler machine, a simpler plant, and a viable route to commercial fusion

FIRST LIGHT FUSION

Our field: inertial fusion

Broadly, there are two types of fusion: inertial and magnetic. Our field is inertial fusion, which works by compressing the fuel and igniting it. 

And it’s a proven field: in 2022, the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved target gain for the first time via inertial fusion, producing more energy from the fuel than was delivered to it.

Inertial fusion usually works by compressing and igniting the fuel together, in one violent step. This requires enormous and extraordinarily precise machines, which are very expensive.

Our approach: fast ignition

Fast ignition is a type of inertial fusion which splits the job into two steps: compression first, then ignition. This takes the pressure off the machine and makes it far simpler.

STEP 1

Compress

The standard fusion fuel, deuterium-tritium, is wrapped in a dense, heavy pusher. The driver pushes it inward, squeezing like a fist to make it hundreds of times denser than it started. Because this happens in a controlled way rather than violently, little energy is wasted.

STEP 2

Ignite

Now the fuel is compressed, igniting it takes far less energy. Instead of heating it all at once, a separate pulse ignites one small region. That spark spreads outward as a self-sustaining burn, like a fuse running through a much larger charge.

The FLARE Reactor Concept

Our innovation: FLARE

FLARE is First Light’s own unique fuel system for fast ignition. The fuel itself is standard deuterium-tritium fusion fuel. The innovation is in the engineered system around it.

Rather than asking the fusion machine to do everything, FLARE puts more of the functionality into the fuel system itself. This reduces the demands placed on the machine and creates a viable route to commercial fusion.

The result: 1,000x more energy out than in

For fusion to work commercially, it has to produce far more energy than it takes in – a ratio known as gain. For fusion to compete with other power sources, that gain needs to be in the hundreds. Which means it has to produce hundreds of times more energy than goes in.

FLARE has been designed for very high gain. Our modelling indicates a target gain of around 1,000x – enough to make commercial fusion possible.

VALIDATION

Built on 15 years of capability

First Light’s approach has been validated externally. At Sandia National Laboratories, we demonstrated target-based power amplification, proving the core idea behind FLARE: that the right fuel system design can materially improve performance.

With the core principle proven, we’re now building FLARE stage by stage – first compression, then ignition, then the two working together – on the path to a complete fusion system.

“This tremendous achievement is a testament to the capabilities of First Light Fusion and a good example of how these collaborations are beneficial to the company, Sandia, our national security program, and the scientific community.”

Dr Greg Rochau, Director of Pulsed Power Sciences at Sandia National Laboratories

The fuel is ordinary. 

The fuel system isn’t.

WATCH FLARE EXPLAINER

Designed for power production

We’ve designed every part of FLARE’s reactor system for scalable, commercial fusion. Each part solves a key barrier that has kept commercial fusion out of reach.

Target: The fuel system

A robust and tolerant design means the fuel system can be manufactured at scale.

Driver: What compresses the fuel

A driver designed to run at low power means that the machine costs far less to build – around ten times less than conventional fusion machines.

Chamber: Where the reaction happens

A durable system design means the chamber lasts longer, with less downtime.

Reactor: How the reaction runs

High gain and low repetition means a simpler plant.

Fuel: The fuel cycle

A self-sustaining fuel cycle means the reactor makes its own fuel as it runs, producing more than it uses.

From first light to first power

We’ve mapped out a plan for how we move from proving the science to delivering commercial power, developing FLARE step by step along the way.

First Light owns the core FLARE technology and leads its design and integration, whilst partners bring the major systems and facilities needed to build a first-of-a-kind reactor.

Here’s how we get there, in five stages:

1. Prove

Prove the physics on Machine 3 with the evidence sponsors need to move forward.

2. Scale

Scale up the capability, creating a nationally significant facility for higher-energy pulses.

3. Demonstrate

Achieve high gain from a single shot, proving the science at full scale.

4. Industrialise

Make it repeatable and reliable: the manufacturing, fuel cycle and systems a working plant needs.

5. Deploy

Build the first FLARE reactor, which produces more electricity than it uses, putting real power on the grid.

Partnerships and collaboration

Built for partnership

FLARE is entirely our own. We designed the fuel system and hold the IP behind it.

But the fuel system is one part of a much bigger machine. Commercial fusion also needs the drivers that power it, the plant that houses it and the engineering to build it at scale. That’s where our partners come in.

They bring the technologies that complete the machine: pulsed power, ignition drivers, and the infrastructure and industrial delivery to turn FLARE into working plants. FLARE is built with clear interfaces, so all of it comes together as one system.

Partners build the machine. First Light supplies the part that makes it work.

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