Alpha Ring, the global leader in micro-fusion technology, has permanently installed its Alpha-E tabletop fusion device at Sofia University, marking a major milestone in the expansion of global access to hands-on fusion education. This is the first time fusion experiments have been available in a classroom in Europe.
The installation supports the launch of a new undergraduate course, Introduction to Nuclear Fusion Systems, within the University’s Department of Radiophysics and Electronics. Built around the Alpha-E device, which is being donated to Sofia University by alumnus Dr. Kosta Yanev, the course gives students direct experience generating and diagnosing fusion reactions, allowing students to move beyond theory and into practical fusion experimentation for the first time.
Through 15 structured modules, students are to receive training in high-voltage systems, microwave plasma generation, ion beam formation, vacuum engineering, fusion reaction diagnostics, and cross-section measurements, culminating in direct observation and analysis of fusion products.
Peter Liu, Co-Chairman of Alpha Ring, said:
“Fusion is moving from a long-term scientific ambition to a rapidly developing global industry. If we are serious about commercializing fusion, we must expand access to real, hands-on experimentation. Seeing Alpha-E move from pilot programs to full curriculum integration and supporting thesis-level research in Europe is powerful evidence that demand is growing. We are helping universities train the next generation of fusion scientists and engineers by putting real fusion devices directly into their labs.”
From pilot programme to thesis-level research
The permanent deployment formalizes a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Alpha Ring and Sofia University two years ago. Since last April’s Fusion Future Conference in Sofia, the University has been trialing the Alpha-E device, integrating it into its Physical Electronics curriculum and enabling students to conduct laboratory-based plasma and fusion experiments.
Most notably, a bachelor’s student has successfully used the Alpha-E device to complete a thesis titled “Measurement of Radiation in a Plasma Setup for Thermonuclear Fusion Research.” The project demonstrated deuterium-deuterium (D-D) fusion using the Alpha-E’s Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma source, with neutron detection confirmed via both internal detectors and an independent external system. The results validate the device’s capability as a working neutron source and a robust platform for university-level fusion research.
Associate Professor Stiliyan Lishev, Head of the Sofia University Radiophysics and Electronics Department, said:
“Developing a highly qualified workforce and stimulating innovation in a competitive industrial ecosystem is one of the cornerstones needed to establish fusion as a sustainable energy source of the future. In this regard, partnerships between universities and the private sector are essential for the training and education of scientists, engineers and technicians with the relevant expertise. The partnership between the Faculty of Physics of Sofia University and Alpha Ring is truly an example of such productive cooperation.
Expanding plasma physics experimentation
To further broaden the educational experience, Sofia University will also integrate Alpha Ring’s newly developed Plasma Module, an add-on to the Alpha-E device that enables hands-on plasma physics experimentation. The compact module allows students to visualize plasma formation and confinement, explore the effects of magnetic fields and microwave tuning, and use diagnostic tools such as Langmuir probes and optical spectrometers. By ionizing different gases and observing their unique emission spectra, students gain an intuitive and visual understanding of plasma behavior, which is an essential foundation for fusion science.
The Plasma Module expands the Alpha-E device’s capability from particle detection and fusion diagnostics into broader plasma physics education, a critical cornerstone of fusion physics. The combined system can operate as a standalone plasma source or integrate into larger experimental setups, giving institutions flexibility in how they structure laboratory teaching.
Assoc. Prof. Lishev added:
“The successful integration of the Alpha-E system into courses from the bachelor’s and master’s programs of the Faculty of Physics has shown that it is a valuable platform not only in terms of modernizing education in plasma physics and nuclear fusion, but also adds significant value to the practical training of students in the field of cutting-edge technologies. In addition, the Alpha-E system provides an opportunity for bachelor's and master's theses, for doctoral students to conduct relevant research, and for the scientific community in the faculty to expand its range of interests.”
Building the talent pipeline for fusion commercialization
This installation follows Alpha-E’s first permanent installation at Purdue University earlier this month and reflects Alpha Ring’s broader strategy for 2026: scaling its global footprint, embedding fusion devices into academic programs, and building a distributed talent pipeline to support the commercialization of fusion energy.
The Alpha-E device at Sofia University
Associate Professor Lishev with the Alpha-E device
Notes to Editors
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About Alpha Ring
Alpha Ring is a leading micro-fusion technology company, commercializing scalable solutions for clean energy and offering decentralized solutions for applications in energy, education, healthcare, transport and industry. Unlike traditional large-scale power plants, Alpha Ring’s approach enables localized energy production, much like the shift from mainframe computing to personal computers, reducing transmission losses and enhancing efficiency.
Alpha Ring’s Alpha-F device is focused on the ultimate commercialization of fusion energy using highly specialized aneutronic proton-boron fusion. Supporting this, Alpha Ring’s Alpha-E tabletop fusion device accelerates fusion R&D by providing large data sets to AI models and has immediate commercial applications in the medical field through boron-neutron capture therapy. Alpha-Ring is the first in the world to set up a fusion talent accelerator providing hands-on fusion experience to researchers and students, deploying Alpha-E to universities worldwide and cultivating the next generation of fusion talent.
With headquarters in California and research labs in Taiwan and Europe, Alpha Ring is a global leader in micro-fusion technology. Its world class team and partnerships with institutions like MIT and University of Oxford further strengthen its research capabilities.
About the Sofia University Department of Radiophysics and Electronics
The Department of Radiophysics and Electronics at the Faculty of Physics of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" has over seventy years of history and is among the leading research units of the University. The department has a multidisciplinary and open approach to both scientific research and educational activities, which is the basis for their synchronous development. The accumulated scientific experience and established international cooperation make it possible to offer modern disciplines for training students - at bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels - that are in step with new achievements in modern science and technology. The applied nature of training in the department, in turn, allows for excellent implementation of graduates in the real economy and in scientific institutions.
The current focus of scientific research in the Department is in the areas of communication and computer technologies, as well as plasma sources and technologies, which are fundamental for key technologies of the future, such as Massive MIMO antennas, sensor networks and microcontroller control, graphene nanostructures and metamaterials, plasma treatment and gas conversion as well as nuclear fusion.
The Department provides basic education in electronics and specialized education in the fields of communication technologies, physical electronics, plasma physics and plasma technologies in the faculty. Also, it offers three master's programs in the field of communication and computer engineering and one in plasma technologies and thermonuclear fusion, as well as two doctoral programs, respectively in radiophysics and physical electronics and plasma and gas discharge physics.