"Fusion power promises to supply the world with large amounts of clean heat and electricity, if researchers and engineers can solve some vexing challenges. At its core, fusion power seeks to harness the power of the Sun. To do that, fusion startups must figure out how to heat and compress plasma for long enough that atoms inside the mix fuse, releasing energy in the process."
"Avalanche, though, uses electric current at extremely high voltages to draw plasma particles into an orbit around an electrode. (It also uses some magnets to keep things orderly, though they're not nearly as powerful as a tokamak's.) As the orbit tightens and the plasmas speed up, the particles begin to smash into each other and fuse. The approach has won over some investors."
Avalanche develops a compact, desktop-scale approach to nuclear fusion that uses extremely high-voltage electric currents to draw plasma particles into an orbit around an electrode. The system uses modest magnets for stabilization, and as the orbit tightens the plasmas accelerate and particles collide, producing fusion. The small scale enables faster learning cycles and rapid iteration compared with large tokamaks or laser-driven designs. Fusion faces difficult physics, advanced materials challenges, and large power and precision requirements that typically hinder rapid experimentation. Avalanche has raised $80 million to date, including a recent $29 million round led by R.A. Capital Management.
Read at TechCrunch
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