Physics World Weekly Podcast Laser fusion: Focused Energy charts a course to commercial viability
Jan 22, 2026
Debbie Callahan, plasma physicist and chief strategy officer at Focused Energy with 35 years at the National Ignition Facility. She explains laser-driven inertial fusion, the LightHouse pilot plant and the Pearl fuel capsule. Discussion covers laser efficiency, target manufacturability at high shot rates, tritium breeding and engineering a pathway to a commercial fusion power plant.
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Two Routes To Fusion
- Inertial and magnetic fusion trade density for confinement time to reach the fusion triple product.
- Inertial fusion uses high density for short time, magnetic fusion uses low density for long time.
Ignition Is Not Yet Power
- NIF's best shot achieved a target gain of about 4.1 using ~2 MJ of laser energy.
- Engineering gains of ~50–100 are needed to make an inertial fusion power plant viable.
Why Direct Drive Matters
- Focused Energy pursues laser direct drive instead of NIF's indirect x-ray drive to avoid conversion losses.
- Direct drive offers higher efficiency, aiding the path from scientific gain to commercial gain.