Target Fabrication Team Helped Speed NIF’s Rapid Restart

The LLNL Target Fabrication Team’s efforts to quickly resume production of targets was a key to the timely restart of NIF experiments following the 2020 pandemic shutdown.

Reports Recommend Stepped-Up U.S. Investment in Fusion Energy

An influential U.S. Department of Energy advisory committee has recommended that the nation move aggressively toward the deployment of fusion energy, including investments in technology and equipment to support one of NIF’s core missions—laying the groundwork for the development of inertial fusion energy.

NIF and JLF User Groups Push HED Science Forward During Pandemic

At their annual meeting, leaders of the NIF and Jupiter Laser Facility user groups praised NIF and JLF staffs for keeping HED science experiments on track by overcoming the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 Protocols Keep NIF on Track

The health and safety protocols that let NIF resume experiments shortly after regional COVID-19 shelter-in-place directives took effect remain in place, helping NIF maintain a regular slate of experiments that are essential to national security.

Study Reveals Cause of 3D Asymmetry in ICF implosions

In a study published in Physical Review Letters, LLNL researchers illuminated how tiny imperfections in a high-density carbon capsule can grow into huge distortions, one of the principal causes of a significant degradation in ICF implosions at NIF.

Former LLNL Scientist Wins E.O. Lawrence Award

Former LLNL scientist Dustin Froula, who helped develop what has become a transformational diagnostic at NIF, was recently honored with the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award for his groundbreaking research on inertial confinement fusion and plasma sciences.

Lab Team Uses Giant Lasers to Compress Iron Oxide

A research team led by LLNL used giant lasers to unlock the secrets of large rocky extrasolar planets by understanding the properties of iron oxide at extreme pressures and temperatures. The results were published in Nature Geoscience.

Remote NIF Control Software Updates Lead to Less Stress, More Efficiency

When much of LLNL’s workforce began working remotely due to COVID-19, NIF’s software team adjusted with changes that improved the efficiency, safety, and experience of control system upgrades.