M/F : Experimental study of laser-driven nuclear interactions

Joint thesis scholarship:
FR University, University of Bordeaux,
AU University, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Almost all efforts to realize fusion-based energy generation involve thermally fusing two isotopes of hydrogen – deuterium with tritium (DT fusion). Due to recent advances in laser technology – and in particular chirped pulsed amplification (CPA) – it is now believed that a viable, although difficult, path to fusion can rest on the fusion of hydrogen (H) with boron (B). The HB fusion reaction possesses the key advantage that it is aneutronic i.e. that it does not release energetic neutrons. This would virtually eliminate the deleterious environmental impact associated with neutron radiation (activation of material) and overall greatly enhance operational safety and drastically reduce production of radioactive waste.

The key to unlock the potential of HB fusion is to move away from thermal equilibrium by providing to the reactants the kinetic energy necessary for fusion not through thermal motion but through electromagnetic field acceleration. While petawatt laser systems have already been used for fusion experiments providing interesting results, a strong need exists to explore the wide parameter space (in terms of pulse duration, peak power, focussing geometry) that is needed for optimising the process of particle generation in order to enabling HB fusion in a controlled environment. This project is in collaboration with the Centro de Laseres PUlsados (CLPU), Salamanca, Spain and HB11 Energy Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia.