A patent on an “alternative laser fusion system and method” filed by two ELI Beamlines lead scientists, Georg Korn and Daniele Margarone, was granted by the Patent Office of the Czech Republic three years after submision. The European Patent Office (EPO) application is still in process.
The patent is shared with the Italian Institute Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Antonino Picciotto and Pierluigi Bellutti being co-inventors. “The mission of Fondazione Bruno Kessler is excellence in scientific research. We are very proud to have this patent on laser fusion framework with ELI Beamlines as a partner,” said Picciotto.
Ales Hala, leader of the Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer (CITT) which is integrated in the Institute of Physics, said “It is already the tenth patent, we have gained for the Institute of Physics.” CITT strongly supported the patent drafting and was also in charge of the administrative duties for the its application.
The invention describes an innovative system, method and target for triggering ultra-clean (neutron-less) nuclear fusion. A temporally shaped laser pulse and an ad-hoc semiconductor target doped with boron are used to trigger the so-called proton-boron nuclear fusion with the consequent production of a high yield stream of alpha particles. A proof-of-principle of this scheme has also been shown experimentally by ELI and FBK researchers in a recent experiment at the PALS laser facility [http://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.4.031030].
“We are proud of being the first inventors in the history of ELI Beamlines and hope that one day our invention can contribute to the generation of ultra-clean energy,” said Daniele Margarone.
This patent is now registered and the Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer will administer its licence.
