When made commercially viable, laser-driven inertial fusion energy (IFE) offers clean and safe energy generation 24/7. One gram of fusion fuel can generate as much energy as burning eleven tonnes of hard coal - without producing long-lived, highly radioactive waste and safe from nuclear chain reactions.

The central project task of LASEROPTIK GmbH is to develop a new generation of precisely coated, extremely powerful, reliable and cost-effective high-end optics with which future high-performance lasers for IFE reactors can remain stable at extreme temperatures and thus be operated permanently.

"It is a special honour to be able to work on this outstanding project. In view of the dedicated project goals, this is a very serious obligation that we want to take seriously," comments Managing Director Dr Wolfgang Ebert on his company's involvement.

The BMBF-funded project is part of the "Fusion 2040 - Research on the way to the fusion power plant" funding programme, funding reference 13F1000I.  The aim is for Germany to be one of the first countries in the world to develop and build a fusion power plant.