LLNL's Scientific Expertise Highlighted at Plasma Physics Meeting

The breadth and depth of scientific research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was on full display at the 2024 meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Plasma Physics, held Oct. 7-11 in Atlanta.

New Plasma Switch Cleans the Pulses in High-Power Lasers

Researchers have developed and tested an innovative plasma optic that “cleans” a high-power laser pulse by diffracting away potentially damaging pre-pulses, then rapidly switching to let the main pulse through to the target.

Diagnostics Explored the ‘Unknowns’ in NIF Ignition Experiments

A recent Physics of Plasmas paper showed how sophisticated diagnostic equipment played a central role in testing the ICF models, simulations, and experimental designs used in laser shots that led to ignition at NIF.

Automated Target Measurements Contribute to LLNL's Ignition Success

An advanced technique for characterizing high-quality target capsules for NIF experiments has played an important role in LLNL's recent success in repeatedly achieving fusion ignition.

Putting the Squeeze on Helium

Researchers are developing a way to “precompress” helium under very high pressure, then blasting it with NIF’s lasers to compress it even further. They want to learn the roles of density and temperature in converting liquid helium from an insulator to a metallic substance able to conduct electricity.

NIF Takes a Quantum Leap into Elusive Metallic Hydrogen

Experiments are underway in NIF’s Discovery Science program as researchers try to characterize hydrogen’s optical properties and equation of state — and perhaps create the metallic state of hydrogen predicted decades ago.

NIF and JLF User Groups Cite HED Science Successes Amid Pandemic

At this year’s meeting of the NIF and JLF user groups, facility leaders cited a number of HED science successes amid the challenges of the pandemic.

Fusion Milestone Creates Buzz at Hybrid APS Plasma Physics Meeting

LLNL physicist Debbie Callahan has given plenty of presentations over the years—but she didn’t expect a standing ovation at the 2021 APS Division of Plasma Physics (APS DPP) meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

LLNL Expands Outreach to HBCUs in Weeklong Event

Building on last year’s successful outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), this year’s LLNL Day was expanded into a virtual LLNL-HBCU career week. Organizers came away pleased with the positive feedback from both students and panelists.

NIF Diagnostics Played Key Role in Fusion Milestone

The National Ignition Facility (NIF)’s highly specialized and sophisticated measuring instruments known as diagnostics were integral to the record-setting inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiment that produced more than 1.3 million joules (MJ) of fusion energy.

New Book Highlights Sol-Gel Processing’s Impact on Optics and Photonic Materials

LLNL scientists Tayyab Suratwala, Pam Whitman, and Marcus Monticelli wrote the first chapter of a just-released book, Sol-Gel Derived Optical and Photonic Materials

NIF Experiments Among Highlights at Virtual APS Plasma Physics Conference

Scientific discoveries, educational opportunities, and wide-ranging events highlighted the recent 62nd American Physical Society-Division of Plasma Physics annual meeting, which attracted a record number of participants from around the world.

DOE Honors HED Scientist With Early Career Award

LLNL physicist Federica Coppari and microbiologist Erin Nuccio were honored with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science Early Career Research Program award.

Plasma Studies Yield New Insights into NIF Implosions and ‘Failed Stars’

LLNL and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) researchers have developed an innovative technique for diagnosing the properties of the plasma created during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions on NIF. The results could inform NIF’s pursuit of ignition and provide new clues about the makeup of the enigmatic brown dwarfs known as “failed stars.”

NIF-JLF User Group Celebrates Exciting Future for HED Science

The annual NIF and Jupiter Laser Facility (JLF) User Group meeting held this month brought together 186 researchers to review recent experimental results, preview upcoming Discovery Science campaigns, and learn about new capabilities and experimental platforms at  both LLNL facilities. The attendees included 56 students and represented approximately 42 institutions from six countries. The...

LLNL Physicist Elected to Lead APS Division of Plasma Physics

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist Denise Hinkel was elected vice chair of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Plasma Physics (DPP), the first step in a four-year leadership commitment that will include a stint as the organization’s chair. Hinkel, who is leading Inertial Confinement Fusion projects and is a group leader in the Design Physics Division, was...

Scholar Learns From NIF’s ‘Tasting Platter of HED Science’

As a kid, Raspberry Simpson found inspiration in the mysteries of the universe while spending many hours after school inside New York’s Hayden Planetarium. “I don’t really think I knew then I could be a scientist as a career, but I knew I was really interested in it,” Simpson said. “And I learned through lots of great teachers that this could be a job eventually.” This year, the MIT...

Physicist Maria Gatu Johnson Wins APS Award

Nuclear physicist Maria Gatu Johnson, who plays a key role in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and Discovery Science campaigns at NIF, was named winner of the Katherine E. Weimer Award recognizing outstanding plasma science research by a woman physicist in the early stages of her career.