Question 1

What did you find most exciting in V4F so far?

Accepted Answer

Regina Gumenyuk (Coordinator, TAU): "In V4F we aim to increase the degrees of control of complex light-matter interaction process such as fusion. It is a very ambitious goal but with groundbreaking potential. The most exciting part of the project is the fantastic team of professionals from different disciplines working closely together to hit the blue sky and bring the long-standing dream closer to reality."

​Iuliia Zalesskaia (PhD student, TAU): "I find V4F exciting because it merges cutting-edge research with engineering to pursue aneutronic fusion as a clean energy source. Working on the fiber laser for the high power structured light generation, I’m proud to support pioneering experiments and next-generation accelerators."

Lev Leybov (PhD student, TAU): "The most exciting part for me is the huge potential of the project. The idea behind it can make a profound impact on people's lives."

Marco Ornigotti (PI, TAU): "I find the composition of the consortium and breadth of the project most exciting."

Valery Filippov (CEO, AMPX): "The opportunity to work with professionals from other fields and learn a lot of new things, solving interesting new tasks that constantly arise allows our team to develop, and seeing constant progress in the work of partners who use our developments are most exciting for me."

Katrin Wondraczek (PI, IPHT) and Roman Sajzew (Researcher, IPHT): "The diversity of expertise brought together in this project - from theoretical simulation to inorganic synthesis of borane targets and fiber development to laser physics - is great. Each partner contributes individually to the project - all partners are interdependent – and the individual pieces fit together to create unique scientific “work of art”. And let's not forget the inspiring topic and team, and of course our project video!"

Markus Büscher (PI, FZJ) and Lars Reichwein (Researcher, FZJ): "Working together with some of Europe’s top researchers is a great opportunity."

Michael Londesborough (PI, IIC): "I have devoted half my life to the synthesis and study of beautiful borane cluster molecules. It is very exciting to know that these molecules and materials, that my team and I make with our own hands, are playing a crucial role in a high-risk/high-gain project that could, ultimately, make a tremendously important impact on all our futures: The creation of an abundant and pollution-free source of electrical energy."

Marieke Dickie (Innovation Support, MOD): "Working together with a team of animators to turn the incredibly complex science of V4F into a narrative understandable for young audiences in just a few minutes was definitely a highlight."​

Question 2

What did you find most challenging in V4F so far?

Accepted Answer

Regina Gumenyuk (Coordinator, TAU): "Nuclear fusion represents very complex light-matter interaction, which depends on enormous number of parameters. The precise control of all of them is an extremely challenging task.”
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Iuliia Zalesskaia (PhD student, TAU): “The most challenging part is that our approach in V4F is entirely new - there’s no existing blueprint to guide us. Every day brings fresh engineering nuances and unexpected hurdles, requiring pioneering solutions at every step.”

Lev Leybov (PhD student, TAU): "The project itself looks very challenging, but the most challenging part for me is the task that I am working on, namely the purity analysis of OAM vortex beams.”

Marco Ornigotti (PI, TAU): "Getting a good understanding of all the phases of the project. I wish I had more time to invest into delving deeper into the physics, but I am glad we did the seminars at the beginning of the project. They really helped in getting a good idea of all the parts involved in it.”

Valery Filippov (CEO, AMPX): "The most difficult, but at the same time important point of this project is the development and production of a vortex beam source. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to perform a number of complex and interrelated tasks: manufacturing the active core material, drawing tapers, testing them, developing a theoretical model for the formation of OAM modes inside the AHTF, and, of course, designing and assembling the laser. This requires cooperation between several partners within the consortium and the highest level of competence from each of them.”

Katrin Wondraczek (PI, IPHT) and Roman Sajzew (Researcher, IPHT): "Finding a common language at the beginning of the project – integrating individual perspectives, professional experiences, academic backgrounds.”

Markus Büscher (PI, FZJ) and Lars Reichwein (Researcher, FZJ): "Working together as researchers from various fields like Chemistry and Physics, but also different fields from within Physics.”

Michael Londesborough (PI, IIC): "The most challenging aspect is to temper one’s aspirations with the reality of the speed with which progress can be made. Our V4F project combines cutting edge chemistry with cutting edge laser physics and manufacture. Such precision materials and equipment require time and patience to prepare, organize and combine.”

Marieke Dickie (Innovation Support, MOD): "Securing time at a high-power laser is incredibly hard- I didn’t realise just how sought after experimental slots at ultra-high-power facilities like PALS are!”

Question 3

What do you think is the most surprising part of V4F so far?

Accepted Answer

Regina Gumenyuk (Coordinator, TAU): "The brighter light at the end of the tunnel. The project started from the ambitious goal to change our vision of the fusion process. Step by step the consortium shows the clear vector towards realization of original goals.”
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Iuliia Zalesskaia (PhD student, TAU): “I’ve been most surprised by how quickly our experimental and theoretical insights have evolved - each new test often defies expectations, highlighting just how pioneering and dynamic this research truly is.”

Lev Leybov (PhD student, TAU): "The most surprising and exciting part is how efficient multidisciplinary research can be: scientists from fiber optics, plasma physics, and chemistry are making the most of their contribution to push the boundaries of laser-driven fusion.”

Marco Ornigotti (PI, TAU): "To me personally, the scope of the project was quite surprising. Mostly because I never thought optics and photonics could stretch so far as to encompass ways to tackle fusion.”

Valery Filippov (CEO, AMPX): "The fact that our partners managed to obtain a sufficiently high α-particle yield from boron-based targets manufactured by the consortium in the very first experiments using the PALS laser.”

Katrin Wondraczek (PI, IPHT) and Roman Sajzew (Researcher, IPHT): "We are surprised that despite the diversity of topics, expertise and approaches, we feel more like a team than a group of individual partners.”

Markus Büscher (PI, FZJ) and Lars Reichwein (Researcher, FZJ): "We are surprised about the fact that boranes – up to now – have not been realised as potential fusion targets.”

Michael Londesborough (PI, IIC): "I am genuinely surprised by the effectiveness of cross-border, multi-national cooperation and coordination that we are currently achieving: Chemical expertise from Czechia, cutting-edge optical components from Germany, innovative new laser technology from Finland, project administration from Scotland, etc., all combining seamlessly for progress.”

Marieke Dickie (Innovation Support, MOD): "It is amazing how much attention our project has already received! We are still in a rather early stage with mainly preliminary results, yet our work has been picked up by Laser Focus World and garnered major attention at conferences already!”

Question 4

What value do you think collaborative European research projects have for both society and researchers?

Accepted Answer

Regina Gumenyuk (Coordinator, TAU): "I think collaborative research projects are fruitful platform for developing groundbreaking technology, which can revolutionise our daily life. Gathering various specialists from different disciplines enables the confinement of the knowledge to boost technology far beyond the current limits. It is like in fusion the energy confinement in a small volume boosts the explosive energy release.”
​Iuliia Zalesskaia (PhD student, TAU): “Collaborative European projects unite diverse expertise, accelerating breakthroughs that benefit society—like cleaner energy resources. Researchers also gain valuable experience, networks, and skills, strengthening both science and society.”
Lev Leybov (PhD student, TAU): "Thanks to such projects, society has the opportunity to develop and give life to new technologies that can improve everyday life. Researchers benefit in terms of collaborating with professionals from different research areas as well as gaining interdisciplinary skills.”
Marco Ornigotti (PI, TAU): "I think science should be collaborative and not speculative. Ideally, consortia should aim at doing research not necessarily for getting a short-term advantage out of it, but to advance our knowledge in the field, eventually (even in the long term) leading to a discovery that could have a significant impact for society. This is my first experience as a member of a European project, and I have to say that, although we have a roadmap to adhere to, I feel like we have enough freedom to look also around the topic and not only in the direction in which we promised we’d look.”
Valery Filippov (CEO, AMPX): "Collaboration provides an opportunity to share experiences, and also allows you to achieve goals faster and more efficiently by combining the efforts of partners. Collaboration also provides ample opportunities for the growth of each participant. The more representatives from different countries participate in the project, the wider the coverage of the issue it is dedicated to, which makes it possible to attract public interest in certain problem.”
Katrin Wondraczek (PI, IPHT) and Roman Sajzew (Researcher, IPHT): "Great intercultural exchange. Opportunity to visit different European research facilities and regions, getting to know new places / famous cities during project meetings. For society: profiting from research results being born from combination of different perspectives (influences from culture, language, research practices, personal characters).”
Markus Büscher (PI, FZJ) and Lars Reichwein (Researcher, FZJ): "Possibility to create synergy effects that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. For society in particular, the new prospects for clean energy.”
Michael Londesborough (PI, IIC): "Projects like V4F attempt to tackle urgent European societal issues, such as energy, climate change, health crises, and digital transformation. They thus improve the quality of life of citizens whilst boosting economic growth through new technologies, industries, and job creation. Collaboration fosters unity across borders, strengthening the EU’s global role. It enables us researchers to share resources and expertise, and to increase the impact of our results and findings.”
Marieke Dickie (Innovation Support, MOD): "To achieve the lasting transformation of society towards a greener and more sustainable society, the only way forwards is to collaborate across borders, disciplines and sectors. To drive innovation and advance our understanding of the world we live in, we need to leave behind imposed and perceived borders between countries and disciplines, working towards a common dream of a brighter future.”

Question 5

What are your expectations for the second half of the project? Which achievements and challenges do you anticipate?

Accepted Answer

Regina Gumenyuk (Coordinator, TAU): "I believe that the hard work will lead to the full realizations of the project goals and the V4F consortium will prove the dramatic improvement of the fusion process by implementation of the vortex beams. There are still a lot of progressive steps to be realised, but the enthusiasm and deep expertise of the consortium members with no doubt will enable them.”
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Iuliia Zalesskaia (PhD student, TAU): “We’re now translating our theoretical insights into practical solutions by working on all project fronts simultaneously. While we still face engineering hurdles daily, everyone’s steady progress should converge into a successful, collaborative outcome. The theoretical work has clarified what we need to change, so we’re applying those lessons in the lab and expect positive results soon.”

Lev Leybov (PhD student, TAU): "There is still a lot of work to do, but I have a strong belief in our research team, and I expect the achievement of the project goals by the end of the second half of the project.”

Marco Ornigotti (PI, TAU): "I am looking forward to see how the whole project unfolds.”

Valery Filippov (CEO, AMPX): "We look forward to continuing fruitful work with our partners within the framework of this project and, of course, we hope that our consortium will be able to achieve the main objective of the project: to demonstrate the advantage of OAM beams in terms of the efficiency of nuclear fusion. Our immediate achievement should be the assembly of a pulsed OAM beam source. However, we expect difficulties in reproducing the quality of the OAM beam obtained in the laboratory, as it can be highly dependent on external conditions, including mechanical stress. It may also be complicated to synchronize the seed laser and the amplification system.”

Katrin Wondraczek (PI, IPHT) and Roman Sajzew (Researcher, IPHT): "Combining the results of the two strands of laser-plasma-target interaction activities and fiber-amplifier development activities. Outreach - Exchange experiences during Women in Photonics: to show young women the excitement of applied research and to convince them that it is possible to have a family and do research at the same time.“

Markus Büscher (PI, FZJ) and Lars Reichwein (Researcher, FZJ): "We aim to prove the usefulness of borane targets for fusion. One crucial challenge will be to amplify the OAM laser modes in plasma to high powers while maintaining a high mode purity.”

Michael Londesborough (PI, IIC): "My expectations are to get closer and closer to understanding what is an optimum fuel for proton-Boron fusion, and thus to unleash the potential for laser-driven fusion energy. With each passing experiment, we are unveiling the secrets behind light-matter interaction, delineating the importance of the composition and structure on the effectiveness of our fusion fuels. The challenge will be to bring all the components necessary to nurture this increasing understanding into a viable, fully-functioning technology.”

Marieke Dickie (Innovation Support, MOD): "Our results so far are incredibly encouraging and I firmly believe that we will be able to reach our aim of bringing nuclear fusion a step closer to reality. Of course, nothing ever goes fully to plan in a project that is equal parts ambitious and risky like V4F. I think we should be prepared to navigate a few curveballs, but I am confident that our team has the skills to do that.”

A Mid-Project Update