Ultrashort Pulse Laser Fusion: Marvel’s Path to Compact Power Plants
Speaker: Floris Deurvorst (Manager R&D, Marvel Fusion)
The Promise of a Compact, Laser-Driven Fusion Plant
In his keynote at binding.energy 2025, Floris Deurvorst presented a bold vision: harnessing the power of ultrashort-pulse lasers and nanostructured fuels to ignite fusion in a compact and industrially viable way.
“Laser fusion doesn’t need massive tokamaks or cryogenic targets – it needs precision, speed, and smart design.”
→ 🎥 Watch the full keynote now←
Marvel Fusion: Where Physics Meets Product
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Founded: Munich, Germany
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Mission: Deliver commercial fusion with short pulses and nanofuels
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Team: 80+ physicists and engineers
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Funding: Over €200M public and private capital secured
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Partners: Trumpf, Thales, Siemens, ELI-ALPS, Fraunhofer, CEA
Why Ultrashort Pulse Laser Fusion?
Marvel Fusion uses femtosecond laser technology to achieve extremely high intensities, rapidly heating nanostructured targets before the plasma expands. This approach avoids energy losses from classical compression (ICF) or magnetic confinement (MCF), and aims for direct-drive ignition in solid-state fuel.
This makes Marvel’s concept a leading contender in the next wave of laser fusion technology.
Fuel Design: Nanostructured Layers
Marvel engineers solid targets with embedded nanostructures to optimize energy deposition. These fuels can be:
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precisely tuned for ignition thresholds
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engineered for specific particle beams
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manufactured at industrial scale using additive methods
Key Innovations
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Ultrashort pulse laser systems (femtosecond, PW-class)
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Solid-state nanostructured targets
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Real-time alignment & repetition rate up to 10 Hz
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AI-driven modeling & validation platform
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Secondary applications: medical isotope production, neutron imaging, high-energy research
Comparison of Fusion Approaches
| Approach | Driver | Fuel Type | Reactor Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Confinement (e.g. ITER) | Coils | DT plasma | Large (Tokamak) |
| Inertial Confinement (NIF) | ns-lasers | DT pellet | Very large (labs) |
| Marvel Fusion | fs-lasers | Nanostructured solid | Compact |
Infobox: What Sets Marvel Apart
Marvel’s Key Differentiators
- Compact plant footprint
- No superconducting magnets
- Rapid repetition design (10 Hz+)
- Industrial ecosystem in place
- Tunable particle beams (fusion + secondary)
Fusion Beyond Electricity
Marvel’s fs-lasers and nanostructured targets are multi-functional:
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⚕️ Generation of medical isotopes
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📡 Compact neutron sources
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🔬 High-energy physics research beyond the grid
These auxiliary applications may even drive early market access before full electricity generation is reached.
Why Ultrashort Pulse Laser Fusion Matters
Ultrashort pulse laser fusion is more than a scientific experiment. It represents a new way of thinking about fusion energy: smaller, faster and closer to industrial deployment. While traditional approaches like ITER or NIF rely on massive facilities and decades of construction, Marvel Fusion shows how physics and engineering can converge into a compact, product-driven solution.
Bridging Physics and Industry
One of the most striking aspects of Marvel Fusion’s strategy is its strong industrial ecosystem. Partnerships with laser manufacturers, research institutes and global corporations give the company access to proven supply chains and cross-sector expertise. This shortens the pathway from laboratory demonstration to scalable power plants. By working with players like Trumpf, Siemens and Fraunhofer, Marvel ensures that its approach is not isolated science but part of an industrial roadmap.
Secondary Markets and Early Adoption
Unlike other fusion projects that focus exclusively on electricity, Marvel Fusion highlights secondary applications as stepping stones. High-repetition ultrashort lasers can produce medical isotopes, neutron beams and imaging tools. These applications generate market demand and revenue streams even before full power plants are built. For investors and policymakers, this diversification lowers risk and broadens the appeal of fusion technology.
Compact Fusion as a Climate Tool
Fusion’s promise has always been unlimited clean energy, but the challenge has been scale and timelines. By focusing on compact systems, Marvel positions fusion as a technology that can be deployed in distributed grids, industrial clusters and emerging economies. The elimination of cryogenics and superconducting magnets reduces both complexity and cost. This opens the door to a type of fusion plant that is closer in spirit to modular fission reactors: replicable, transportable and adaptable.
Challenges and Next Steps
Of course, the path to ultrashort pulse laser fusion is not without obstacles. Achieving consistent ignition, scaling repetition rates and validating nanostructured fuels at industrial scale remain critical challenges. Yet the combination of significant funding, strong partners and a clear technological roadmap gives Marvel Fusion momentum. If milestones toward compact reactors are met in the coming decade, the fusion landscape could shift dramatically.
Don’t Miss What’s Coming
Marvel Fusion combines the power of ultrashort pulse laser physics with the discipline of product engineering to lead the next wave of commercial fusion.
By reducing reactor size, avoiding cryogenics and magnets, and embracing industrial design principles, Marvel brings compact fusion reactors into reach faster, simpler, and scalable.
