Inertial confinement fusion: recent results and perspectives

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the principles of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and of recent results, describing what are the difficulties which had to be overcome in order to get ignition, as demonstrated at the National Ignition Facility in the United States in 2022. It also describes the scientific and technological challenges that should be met to be able to develop laser-driven fusion reactors in the next years.