The ICED COST Action CA25144 - Inertial fusion energy: supply Chain of laser-targets from Exploration to Delivery was recently granted and will be active from 2026 to 2030.
Motivation are recent experiments with high-energy lasers that have established for the first time a burning plasma delivering more energy than was consumed for its creation. Large scale fabrication and delivery of efficient burn material is an essential pillar of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE). These targets are currently manufactured on a small scale, and at great expense, individually or in small batches across multiple separate facilities in Europe, largely Universities or national laboratories.
This Action aims at building permanent bonds between different actors in the field to
(I) study IFE based on available target technology with the potential to discover synergies,
(II) develop new simulation tools following up on available technology, i.e. for porous media,
(III) create first target supply chains drawing on available expertise,
(IV) outline a roadmap from small-scale manufacturing to large-scale fabrication,
(V) build novel target inserter technology compatible with reactor environments,
(VI) found working groups for different avenues towards laser-fusion, e.g. cryogenic wetted foams for direct-drive IFE and boronated targets for pB-fusion,
(VII) strengthen the community with an early involvement of graduate students and training of young researchers.
Purpose of ICED will be to establish a network of stakeholders for the design, fabrication and supply of targets for inertial fusion energy, promoting the delivery of new technology and an advanced theoretical understanding. The action aims to facilitate access to large-scale science infrastructures for experimental and numerical studies, supporting the career growth of young scientists with training activities, and boost the production of new knowledge and innovations by breakthrough discoveries.
