HB11 Energy, the Sydney-based aneutronic fusion startup pursuing the proton-boron-11 (p-B11) fuel cycle, reported a tenfold increase in measured alpha-particle yield from a campaign conducted at the ELI Beamlines facility in Dolní Břežany, Czechia. The shots used a chirped-pulse petawatt driver coupled to a boron-hydride target.

p-B11 is the highest-temperature fusion fuel cycle of practical interest but produces no neutrons and no radioactive products, which would in principle eliminate the tritium handling, neutron activation, and shielding burdens that dominate the engineering of D-T reactors. The cycle's energetic threshold — roughly 30× higher than D-T — has historically made it inaccessible.

The cycle's energetic threshold — roughly 30× higher than D-T — has historically made it inaccessible.

HB11 chief scientist Heinrich Hora, the founding theorist of the avalanche p-B11 ignition concept, said the new results are consistent with the predicted non-thermal avalanche mechanism rather than thermal equilibrium ignition. Independent measurements are expected from a joint campaign at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory later this year.