TAE Technologies claims new fusion first

Hydrogen-boron (also known as p-B¹¹ or p¹¹B) is viewed by some as the most desirable fusion fuel, as it produces no radioactive byproducts and is abundant enough to meet humanity’s energy needs for many thousands of years. TAE is developing a field-reversed configuration (FRC) reactor that is fuel agnostic, capable of working with both hydrogen-boron and the more commonly used deuterium-tritium. However, the California-based company is focusing its fuel research efforts around p¹¹B, as it believes it offers the best path to commercialisation and long-term fusion sustainability.  

Working alongside Japan’s National Institute for Fusion Science, TAE carried out experiments using NIFS’ Large Helical Device (LHD), the second largest superconducting stellarator in the world, after Germany’s Wendelstein 7-X. In a paper published in Nature Communications, the researchers describe how they created the necessary conditions for hydrogen-boron fusion in the LHD plasma. The work also outlines how TAE developed a sensor capable of detecting helium nuclei - also known as alpha particles - which are the only emissions from a p¹¹B fusion reaction.