News

Measuring Nuclear Reactions Found Inside Stars

NIF's capabilities enabled LLNL radiochemistry experts to make the first experimental measurements of nuclear reactions in high energy density plasma environments similar to conditions found in stars and thermonuclear explosions.

LLNL and Fraunhofer ILT Partner on Next-Generation Fusion Lasers

LLNL and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) are joining forces to cross-validate their sophisticated laser simulation models.

Where Beam Paths and Career Paths Intersect

As a laser safety officer, Hayden Johnson knows the location and handling protocols for hundreds of lasers across the Lab. Here's why serving in this role is especially fulfilling.

LLNL Conducts Milestone Nuclear Survivability Experiment at NIF

LLNL conducted an experiment at NIF to assess the ability of U.S. nuclear weapons to survive encounters with adversary missile defenses and reach their targets, demonstrating a new capability that advances stockpile modernization.

Target Fab's Suhas Bhandarkar: From Inception to Ignition and Beyond

Tiny parts and absolute meticulousness define Suhas Bhandarkar’s award-winning career. He leads a team that helps transform LLNL’s physicists’ bold ideas into reality at NIF.

Vincent Tang Returns to Lead NIF&PS Directorate

LLNL Director Kim Budil named Vincent Tang as the principal associate director (PAD) to lead the NIF and Photon Science directorate.

Using AI for Real-Time Control of Rapid-Fire Lasers

In a major step forward for HED science and inertial fusion energy, LLNL researchers and their colleagues demonstrated how machine learning and AI could exert instantaneous control of a rapid-fire laser system.

HEDS Fellow Patricia Cho Probes Cosmic Mysteries

For Patricia Cho, an experimental physicist who is conducting opacity measurement experiments at NIF, a High Energy Density Science Center fellowship allowed her to branch out from her Ph.D. work to explore new areas of astrophysics.

Big Ideas Lab Podcast Delves into Advanced Lasers

The latest episode of the Big Ideas Lab podcast explores advanced lasers — the challenges and their potential.

LLNL Receives Energy Department Funding for Fusion Energy Research

The U.S. Department of Energy announced $134 million in funding for two programs designed to secure U.S. leadership in emerging fusion technologies and innovation: FIRE and INFUSE.

Molecular Simulations Reveal Why Graphite Outshines Diamond

A study published in Nature Communications reveals that graphite can spontaneously nucleate. Understanding the fine lines that separate graphite from diamond from liquid molten carbon is critical for modeling experiments at NIF.

LLNL Physicist Receives Edward Teller Award

LLNL physicist Hye-Sook Park has been awarded the Edward Teller Award for 2025 by the American Nuclear Society.

New Book Documents Optics Innovations That Were Integral to Ignition

Just published: In Optic Technologies Enabling Fusion Ignition, veteran LLNL optics and laser experts tell the comprehensive story of how they were able to push the performance of those optics beyond what many thought was possible.

David Alessi Named Senior Member of Optica

LLNL physicist David Alessi has been named a senior member of Optica, an international society dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving, and dissemination of knowledge in the field of optics and photonics.

LLNL Researchers Employed an AI-Driven Model to Predict Fusion Ignition Shot

LLNL researchers employed an AI-driven model that used deep learning and a “cognitive simulation” framework to successfully predict fusion ignition days ahead of the historic 2022 shot at NIF, according to a new study in Science.

Science & Technology Review: Beyond Ignition

The July/August 2025 edition of LLNL's Science & Technology Review magazine examines the many facets of ignition research in the era beyond ignition. Read more ...

TARDIS Experiments Boost NIF Discovery Science and Stockpile Stewardship

On the morning of July 10, researchers completed an experiment that marked the 200th use of NIF’s workhorse TARDIS experimental platform.

Big Ideas Lab Podcast Looks Back at the Laser Guide Star

Late one evening about 30 years ago, a beam of light that shot into the sky from LLNL started a revolution in astronomy. The latest episode of LLNL’s Big Ideas Lab Podcast delves into this fascinating history.

LLNL Pushes Frontier of Fusion Target Design with AI

Researchers at LLNL have reached a milestone in combining AI with fusion target design by deploying AI agents on two of the world’s most powerful supercomputers to automate and accelerate inertial confinement fusion experiments at NIF.

LANL, LLNL Achieve Fusion Ignition with Groundbreaking Approach

A Los Alamos National Laboratory-led team working in conjunction with LLNL has achieved ignition at NIF. The team conducted an experiment that generated a yield of 2.4 MJ of energy and created a self-sustaining feedback loop called a burning plasma. Read more ...