Experimental feasibility of laser-assisted muon de-sticking

Determine whether tuned laser pulses can photo-ionize the approximately 11.3 keV 1s alpha–muon bound state and return the muon to the catalytic cycle at an economically viable rate.

Background

Laser-assisted de-sticking is proposed as one route to reducing the effective loss of muons after fusion. The required photon energy is in the X-ray regime, and the paper notes that both the technical performance and economic feasibility of such a system remain unresolved. This problem is a specific implementation of the broader challenge of increasing the number of fusions catalyzed by each muon.

References

It is uncertain that such system could reach economical viability, let alone be experimentally tested.

— Science Of Nuclear Fusion: Insights and Ideas  (2609.01366 - Rafelski et al., 1 Sep 2026) in Section 4, subsection “Muon-catalyzed fusion,” subsection “Towards 1,000 fusions per muon,” item “Laser-assisted de-sticking”