US startup's fusion energy device hits record 1.6 GPa plasma pressure

US startup Zap Energy has achieved a significant breakthrough in fusion energy research with its Fusion Z-pinch Experiment 3 (FuZE-3) device, reaching plasma pressures of approximately 1.6 gigapascals (GPa), or 830 megapascals (MPa) electron pressure. These pressures are comparable to those found deep beneath Earth's crust and represent the highest recorded in a sheared-flow-stabilized Z pinch. The results, presented at the American Physical Society’s Division of Plasma Physics meeting, mark a key milestone toward achieving scientific energy gain (Q > 1), where a fusion system produces more energy than it consumes. FuZE-3 is Zap Energy’s most advanced fusion platform, notable for incorporating a third electrode that separates plasma acceleration and compression forces, enabling better control over plasma density. The device achieved electron densities between 3 and 5 x 10^24 m^-3 and electron temperatures exceeding 1 keV (over 21 million degrees Fahrenheit), sustaining extreme