Fusion-Fission Hybrid Systems: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Fundamentally new characteristics and parameters can be achieved in systems for energy production and special applications by combining nuclear fusion and fission reactions in a single design. In the first decades of the atomic era, fusion-fission hybrid systems (FFHSs) were developed for military applications. The civilian use of hybrid systems in the energy sector, which was also foreseen by the creators of nuclear explosives, has proved to be much more difficult. This paper discusses the development of FFHSs: the initial stage from 1950 to 2000, the current stage from 2000 to 2020, and the long-term targets for 2020 to 2130.