Lecture on “Laser-induced nuclear fusion – a new physical paradigm”

On January 13, Assoc. Prof. Ekaterina Yordanova, Director of the Institute of Solid State Physics at BAS, delivered the first public lecture for 2026 in “The World of Physics – Live” lecture series at the American Center in the Sofia City Library.

The popular science lecture on “Laser-induced nuclear fusion – a new physical paradigm” which marks the beginning of the second decade of the lecture series, attracted the attention of the physics community in Bulgaria, representatives of various physics fields, and the general public.

Assoc. Prof. Yordanova, head of the Bulgarian project for the construction and validation of a laboratory prototype for laser-induced controlled nuclear fusion funded by the Ministry of Innovation and Growth under the “Scientific Research, Innovation and Digitization for Smart Transformation” program acquainted the audience with the experimental results achieved at the Institute of Solid State Physics. The innovative approach applied by the scientific team, using femtosecond high-power laser pulses to accelerate light nuclei and as a catalyst for nuclear processes has the potential to be a breakthrough in global science and nuclear energy production.

Nuclear fusion is a fundamental process that powers the Sun and stars and is being researched as a potential source of clean and virtually inexhaustible energy. For these reasons, alongside classical plasma approaches, new concepts based on the use of ultrashort and ultra-intense laser pulses are also being developed. Assoc. Prof. Yordanova pointed out that the method developed by the Bulgarian team compared to those used in the US and the EU offers better control of thermonuclear fusion and higher safety.  It is also proof of how fundamental physics in laboratory conditions can become the basis for future technological solutions of strategic importance for science and society.

The discussion that followed the presentation which exceeded the standards of a popular science lecture involved members of the Bulgarian team. During the discussion, it became clear that the reported results were the product of ten years of persistent work involving theoretical calculations and proposals by Prof. Lyubomir Kovachev, engineering design developments, and a series of experiments in search of solutions to existing scientific hypotheses. World-renowned scientist and former president of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Nikola Sabotinov, who supports and advises the team, outlined the upcoming tasks and highlighted the obstacles in the process of validating a laboratory prototype for laser-induced controlled nuclear fusion. Assoc. Prof. Ekaterina Yordanova added that what had been achieved so far was the result of cooperation with the Institute of Electronics and the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy at BAS and with the Faculty of Physics at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and that the scientific team was to be expanded with specialists in atomic, nuclear, and plasma physics.