Cold fusion has long captivated scientists and investors alike with its tantalizing promise of providing clean, abundant energy. Now, one startup is the latest to take a fresh approach to realizing this dream after raising $15 million in funding.
Boston-based Acceleron Fusion announced a $15 million investment that will help advance their unique muon-catalyzed fusion technology. As the name suggests, their approach centers around subatomic particles called muons, which could theoretically help atomic nuclei fuse together at room temperature and pressure.
Most fusion efforts aim to recreate the sun’s intense heat and pressure conditions on Earth. However, Acceleron is betting that muons, which are over 200 times heavier than electrons, can help lower the barriers preventing atomic fusion. By replacing electrons in hydrogen isotopes, muons allow fusion to potentially occur under much gentler conditions than necessary through other methods.
Though muon-catalyzed fusion has been observed in laboratory experiments before, the high energy needs to generate muons vs. the energy produced remains an obstacle. Acceleron hopes their research at higher pressures could help change this equation. The funding will allow them to further explore how pressure impacts fusion rates and muon interactions in the mixture.
Their work has already shown promise, as evidenced by a 2020 grant from ARPA-E, the Pentagon’s advanced energy research branch. The results from that research appear to have now energized private investors to support Acceleron’s vision.
With electricity demand and climate change concerns rising globally, the ability to tap fusion as a nearly limitless, low-carbon power source would be transformative. Acceleron Fusion aims to take the next step towards making this century-old dream a new energy reality.
