Fusion ‘breakthrough’ achieved with pulse shot million times faster than blink of an eye

US-based Pacific Fusion has achieved a significant breakthrough in fusion research through four successful tests at Sandia National Laboratories’ Z Pulsed Power Facility. The team delivered an extraordinary 22-million-amp pulse in just 120 nanoseconds—about a million times faster than a blink—using a simplified target design consisting of a plastic core wrapped in aluminum. By precisely tuning the aluminum layer’s thickness, researchers enabled magnetic fields to diffuse into the fusion fuel, effectively “pre-magnetizing” it. This pre-magnetization traps heat more efficiently, facilitating fuel ignition during the main compression pulse and eliminating the need for large, expensive magnetic coils previously required. This advance simplifies the fusion system and supports Pacific Fusion’s goal of achieving net facility gain by 2030. The experiments also directly inform the design of Pacific Fusion’s planned Demonstration System to be built in New Mexico and validate their advanced simulation tools developed with the University of Rochester’s Flash Center. By replacing complex, costly external hardware with a simple aluminum-and