Hafnium Carbide First Wall

Kronos uses a laser-fused hafnium carbide first wall — a refractory, highly reflective surface that recycles synchrotron radiation.

Material

Laser-fused hafnium carbide (HfC)

Property

Ultra-high melting point; highly reflective

Reflectivity

R_wall ≥ 0.90 (prediction P5)

Role

Endures heat flux; recycles synchrotron radiation

Kronos MetroVolt's first wall is made of laser-fused hafnium carbide (HfC), one of the most refractory ceramics known, with a melting point above 3,900 °C. Two properties earn it the job: it withstands the sustained heat and particle flux at the plasma boundary, and it is highly reflective to microwave radiation.

That reflectivity matters because a high-field machine loses power to synchrotron radiation. A wall reflectivity of R_wall ≥ 0.90 recycles most of that power back into the plasma — which is why the 51 MW synchrotron budget assumes it. Maintaining R_wall ≥ 0.90 after ion fluence and at temperature is one of the pre-registered predictions (P5), measured at the G1 gate.