Cortex Fusion Systems, Inc

Cortex Fusion Systems is developing compact fusion reactors that use ultrafast lasers and nanophotonics to achieve fusion through self-generated magnetic confinement and isochoric bulk heating. Our patented approach uses femtosecond laser pulses carrying orbital angular momentum to drive electrons into azimuthal currents that generate solenoidal magnetic fields exceeding Tesla. At these field strengths, hot electrons are confined on micron-scale gyro-orbits, keeping them localized within the interaction volume long enough to collisionally transfer their energy to ions and reach thermonuclear temperatures. Nanophotonic targets waveguide the laser into dense matter at constant volume, enabling isochoric heating that bypasses the hydrodynamic instabilities and ablative compression of conventional inertial confinement fusion. The fuel is a continuously flowing room-temperature liquid jet containing nanostructured fusion fuel. Because the target replenishes itself between shots, we operate at thousand+ pulses per second rather than a few shots per day. This high repetition rate is what makes continuous power generation possible and distinguishes our approach from single-shot inertial fusion schemes. Liquid jet delivery also eliminates the cryogenic pellet fabrication and injection systems that have bottlenecked other laser fusion efforts. Our goal is modular power blocks that scale through repetition rate and arraying rather than facility size. We are currently building the first electricity-producing fusion reactor, with plans to deploy compact power plants across the United States and internationally. Founded 2021 in New York. Venture-backed. Four non-provisional patents. If you work in ultrafast laser engineering, plasma physics, or energy systems investment, connect with us or visit cortexfusion.systems.