The University of Liverpool’s Department of Physics hosted an international workshop bringing together researchers and industry representatives to explore advances in muon-catalysed fusion and its potential future scientific and technological applications.
The International Workshop on Muon-Catalysed Fusion and Future Applications brought together researchers from leading academic institutions in the UK, Japan and the United States, alongside industry representatives, to share the latest scientific developments and identify opportunities for future collaboration.
Nuclear fusion is widely regarded as a promising future energy technology, with the potential to provide abundant, clean energy. Muon-catalysed fusion (µCF) offers an alternative approach, using subatomic particles called muons to bring hydrogen nuclei close enough together to trigger fusion at much lower temperatures than those required in conventional fusion processes.
The field is attracting renewed international interest following significant experimental and theoretical advances. Beyond its potential energy applications, muon-catalysed fusion presents opportunities for fundamental research and the development of new scientific technologies, including compact neutron sources and negative muon cooling.
Hosted by Professor Graziano Venanzoni from Liverpool’s Department of Physics, the two-day workshop provided a forum for researchers to exchange knowledge, discuss emerging technologies and explore opportunities to advance research through international partnerships.
A key outcome was the strengthening of Liverpool’s collaboration with researchers in Japan, alongside discussions about potential exchanges of information with research groups in the United States.
The workshop also explored opportunities for future industry engagement, with representatives from private companies in Japan and North America attending the event and some UK-based companies expressing interest in the field.
Although muon-catalysed fusion remains at a relatively early stage of development, establishing connections with industry could provide valuable support for ongoing research and development activities and help identify longer-term opportunities for technological innovation.
The workshop opened with a welcome address from Professor Joost Vossebeld and featured contributions from Liverpool researchers Dr William Torres Bobadilla, Dr Elia Bottalico, Dr Lorenzo Cotrozzi, Fedor Ignatov, Dr Joe Price, Dr Thomas Teubner, Dr Ce Zhang and Dr Estifa’a Zaid.
Colleagues from Liverpool’s School of Engineering, Dr Kirsty McKay and Professor Karl Whittle, also attended the event, while Dave Joos and Craig Beck supported its organisation.
The workshop was supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Moonshot Goal 10 programme, the Leverhulme Trust and the University of Liverpool through its Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) funding.
Professor Graziano Venanzoni, Co-lead of the University of Liverpool Particle Physics research frontier said:
“The workshop was a very nice opportunity to bring together experts from different countries and to review the current state of research in muon-catalysed fusion. We had very interesting discussions about the current challenges, new ideas and possible future directions. It was also encouraging to see interest from industry, and I hope this will help us develop new collaborations as the field progresses. I’m grateful of the support from the University and the Leverhulme Trust.
By bringing together international research expertise and exploring new opportunities for academic and industrial collaboration, the workshop has helped lay the foundations for further advances in muon-catalysed fusion research and its potential future applications.
Find out more about the International Workshop on Muon-Catalysed Fusion and Future Applications.