German startup developing laser-driven fusion using nanostructured targets to lower ignition thresholds
Marvel Fusion is a Munich-based fusion energy startup founded in 2019 by Moritz von der Linden, Pasha Shabalin, and Karl-Georg Schlesinger. The company is developing a novel approach to laser-driven inertial fusion that uses nanostructured targets to dramatically improve the coupling efficiency between laser energy and fuel, potentially enabling ignition with far less laser power than conventional inertial confinement schemes require.
Traditional laser fusion, as practised at the National Ignition Facility, relies on extraordinarily powerful lasers to compress a fuel capsule symmetrically. Marvel Fusion's innovation centres on engineering the target at the nanoscale so that the fuel absorbs laser energy more efficiently. The nanostructured material is designed to channel and concentrate laser photons, creating localised hot spots that initiate fusion reactions through a mechanism the company describes as being distinct from classical central hot-spot ignition. This approach draws on research into ultra-intense laser-matter interactions and quantum-scale energy deposition.1
One of Marvel Fusion's distinguishing claims is that its target technology could work with advanced fuel cycles beyond deuterium-tritium, including proton-boron-11. Because the nanostructured targets enhance energy coupling, the company argues they could achieve the higher temperatures needed for aneutronic fuels. If realised, this would offer enormous advantages: proton-boron fusion produces charged particles rather than neutrons, dramatically simplifying reactor shielding and eliminating the need for tritium breeding.2
The company's strategy proceeds in stages. Near-term work focuses on validating the nanostructured target physics at existing petawatt-class laser facilities. Marvel Fusion has announced plans to build a dedicated high-repetition-rate laser facility in Germany to conduct scaled-up experiments. The ultimate goal is a demonstration power plant that would use a high-repetition-rate laser to implode targets at commercial rates, with the fusion energy captured in a surrounding blanket and converted to electricity.3
Marvel Fusion has raised approximately 60 million euros in venture funding, with investors including Earlybird Venture Capital and Possible Ventures. The company has also attracted public funding from the Bavarian state government and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In 2022, Marvel Fusion announced a partnership with Colorado State University to explore advanced laser systems for fusion applications.4
The company positions itself at the intersection of laser physics, nanotechnology, and fusion science. Its team includes physicists and engineers drawn from the Max Planck Institutes, the European XFEL, and leading laser research centres. Marvel Fusion's approach remains at an early experimental stage, with key physics questions around target performance and laser coupling efficiency still under active investigation.5