FUSION ENERGY

A NEW LASER research facility under construction on CSU’s Foothills Campus will propel investigations in fusion energy – a way to potentially generate electricity by fusing atomic nuclei in the same process that powers the sun.

The new facility builds on 40 years of laser research at CSU and is made possible through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fusion Energy Sciences program and a $150 million public-private partnership with industry leader Marvel Fusion.

The building – called the Advanced Technology Lasers for Applications and Science, or ATLAS – is a major expansion of space and capabilities for the university. The facility will feature an upgraded version of an existing ultra high-power laser developed at CSU, as well as two new lasers provided by Marvel Fusion. Completion is expected next year.

A central topic of research in the facility will be laser-driven fusion as a viable clean energy source. If developed successfully, this process promises to safely generate practically unlimited, sustainable, carbon-free energy.

The ATLAS facility will feature a unique cluster of high-intensity, high-repetition rate lasers that can be configured to fire simultaneously at a single fusion target. That burst will deliver nearly 7 petawatts of power – more than 5,000 times the electrical generation capacity of the U.S. – into a focal spot roughly the width of a human hair for approximately 100 quadrillionths of a second. The trio of ultra high-power lasers can also be used independently and in other combinations to study questions beyond fusion energy, including key topics in fundamental research.

For instance, the ATLAS facility will support interdisciplinary work into topics such as medicine, where lasers could be used to deposit energy in a very localized region for tumor treatment. Other potential research includes microchip lithography and design and detailed X-ray imaging of rapidly moving objects, such as airplane engine turbines in full motion.

“As a top institution recognized both for research and for sustainability, CSU is a fitting home for this facility,” CSU President Amy Parsons said at a groundbreaking ceremony last fall. “We have been a leader in laser research for decades, and our faculty are advancing critical technologies. This new facility will house one of the most powerful lasers in the world and establishes CSU as a nexus for laser fusion research.”

CSU’s leadership in laser research is primarily due to work by University Distinguished Professors Jorge Rocca and Carmen Menoni. Both are part of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rocca also holds a position in the Department of Physics, and Menoni has a position in the Department of Chemistry.

The pair have been leading interdisciplinary research on this topic at the university for years. Their existing and fruitful research partnerships with Marvel Fusion were the key reason the company chose to further invest in the university with the project, university leaders said.