Disclaimer: This article is an original summary of information published via General Fusion and related press materials and is provided for informational purposes only. It describes the results of a scientific study published in Journal “Nuclear Fusion” under DOI: 10.1088/1741‑4326/ad9033.

General Fusion has publicly confirmed significant advances in its Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) technology based on results from its Plasma Compression Science (PCS) experiment series as reported in a peer‑reviewed publication in Nuclear Fusion. The findings demonstrate important milestones in plasma compression, neutron production, and stability — offering a strong foundation for the company’s upcoming Lawson Machine 26 (LM26) fusion demonstration.

The PCS experiments successfully compressed plasma in a spherical tokamak configuration using a collapsing metal liner — a key innovation in the MTF approach. During these tests, General Fusion achieved high neutron yield and preserved critical plasma characteristics through compression, effectively validating core aspects of its predictive simulation models.

Key Experimental Findings

• Neutron yield peaked at over 600 million neutrons per second in a single compression shot, showing significant fusion reactions occurred under MTF compression.
• The plasma became about 190 times denser than its initial state during compression, indicating effective confinement and compression performance consistent with predictive models.
• The magnetic field confining the hot plasma increased to more than 13 times its original strength due to compression.
• Measured plasma heating was in line with theoretical expectations, with ion temperatures rising to around 0.63 keV during the compression phase.

These results show that volumetric compression of a spherical tokamak plasma using MTF is practical and that the approach can achieve stable conditions with increased fusion output, addressing key physical challenges in fusion engineering.

Implications for LM26 and Fusion Energy Goals

General Fusion has stated that these findings significantly de‑risk the LM26 program, which is designed to scale the technology for broader fusion performance demonstrations. LM26 is set to begin integrated operations in early 2025, targeting several major technical benchmarks over the next two years:

• Achieve initial plasma temperatures of 1 keV
• Progress to 10 keV conditions (over 100 million degrees Celsius)
• Ultimately reach scientific breakeven equivalent (100% of the Lawson criterion) by around 2026.

The company emphasizes that its MTF method — which uses mechanically driven compression of plasmas with a liquid metal liner rather than large superconducting magnets or high‑power lasers — may offer a more practical and cost‑efficient path to commercial fusion energy.

General Fusion has built a track record of technology development over more than two decades, including dozens of experimental prototypes and hundreds of thousands of plasma shots that inform the design and engineering of LM26. These experimental results, now validated through peer review, provide confidence that the next phase of MTF fusion research will deliver further advances toward commercially relevant fusion energy.