Compact Laser Fusion

Fusion energy through self-generated magnetic confinement and isochoric heating

Cortex Fusion Systems is developing compact fusion reactors powered by ultrafast lasers and nanophotonics. Our patented approach uses femtosecond laser pulses carrying orbital angular momentum to generate solenoidal magnetic fields exceeding 1000 Tesla directly in the plasma. These self-generated fields confine hot electrons on micron-scale gyro-orbits, enabling efficient energy transfer to ions and thermonuclear heating. Combined with nanophotonic targets that enable isochoric bulk heating at near-solid density, our architecture bypasses the hydrodynamic instabilities that have limited conventional inertial confinement fusion for decades.

Isochoric heating with magnetic confinement

Conventional laser fusion heats fuel through ablative compression, an isobaric process plagued by hydrodynamic instabilities. Our approach instead heats the entire target volumetrically at constant density. Femtosecond pulses deposit energy faster than the plasma can expand, creating ultrahot matter at near-solid density. Orbital angular momentum beams then generate kilo-Tesla solenoidal magnetic fields through the inverse Faraday effect, confining hot electrons long enough to thermalize with ions and reach fusion conditions.

Nanophotonic targets for volumetric energy deposition
Laser light cannot penetrate beyond the critical density surface in conventional targets, depositing energy only in a thin skin layer. Our nanophotonic targets solve this by waveguiding femtosecond pulses deep into dense matter via plasmonic nanostructures. The laser is trapped and absorbed throughout the target volume, achieving isochoric heating rather than surface ablation. This moves laser fusion from unstable implosion physics to controlled volumetric heating.

Liquid jet targets for high repetition rate
The fuel is a continuously flowing room-temperature liquid jet containing nanostructured fusion fuel. Because the target replenishes itself between shots, we operate at thousands of pulses per second rather than a few shots per day. This high repetition rate is what makes continuous power generation possible and distinguishes our approach from single-shot inertial fusion schemes. Liquid jet delivery eliminates the cryogenic pellet fabrication and injection systems that have bottlenecked other laser fusion efforts.

Modular architecture for deployment
Our goal is modular power blocks that scale through repetition rate and arraying rather than facility size. The combination of commercial femtosecond lasers, room-temperature liquid targets, and self-generated magnetic confinement creates a pathway from laboratory demonstrations to deployable power plants. We are currently building the first electricity-producing fusion reactor, with plans to deploy compact power plants across the United States and internationally.

Our team

Our team combines expertise in ultrafast laser physics, plasma science, nuclear engineering, and energy systems to build the first practical fusion power plants.