News

LLNL Hosts Workshop to Shape the Future of Diode-Pumped Laser Technology

LLNL recently hosted a workshop to assemble the world’s top experts in diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) systems, a key technology for the future of inertial fusion research and energy.

Jeff Wisoff Reflects on Decades of National Service

As he wraps up his 24-year career at LLNL, Jeff Wisoff reflects on his time as Principal Associate Director of NIF & Photon Science, the achievement of fusion ignition, and how serving as a NASA astronaut informed his approach to leadership.

New NIF Diagnostic Tool Will Make ‘Movies’ of Phase Changes in Materials

In a significant advance in high-pressure physics, LLNL researchers developed a tool to capture real-time sequential images of phase changes in materials. This new diagnostic instrument—dubbed FIDDLE—is shedding light on the nanosecond dynamics of matter under extreme conditions.

Big Ideas Lab Podcast Takes on Tech Spinoffs and Partnerships

The Big Ideas Lab podcast takes a deep dive into how the Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO) facilitates tech transfer at LLNL and some of the most impactful success stories, including one startup inspired by research into protecting NIF's optical components from laser damage.

Big Ideas Lab Podcast Explores the Future of Fusion Energy

In the latest episode of “The Big Ideas Lab” podcast, learn the next steps needed to turn the dream of fusion energy into reality.

Prominence of LLNL Laser Science on Display at NIF-JLF User Groups Meeting

The progress made to capitalize on and sustain NIF’s capabilities, and the scientific advancements made during JLF’s first full year of operations following a major refurbishment, were highlighted during this year’s NIF and JLF User Groups Meeting.

Introducing El Capitan

One of the world’s most powerful and energy-efficient supercomputers helps scientists safeguard the U.S. nuclear stockpile. Read more ...

Ride the Optics Recycle Loop with the Big Ideas Lab Podcast

NIF was designed and built in a way to manage some level of laser damage on the optics nearly every time the laser fires. In this Big Ideas Lab Podcast episode, we take a ride along this Optics Recycle Loop of continuous innovation and ingenuity.

Igniter Award Winners Support Their Colleagues — And the Lab’s Missions

The second annual NIF & Photon Science Igniter Awards recognize two team members, Sara Novell and Melissa Meier, who have gone above and beyond to inspire and support their colleagues to reach greater heights, both professionally and personally.

Showing How Plasma Electrons Can Enhance Fusion Reaction Rates

A NIF Discovery Science campaign is hoping to demonstrate that free electrons in a plasma can help positively charged atomic nuclei “tunnel” through the electrostatic barrier that keeps them apart and fuse.

Three LLNL Scientists Honored with Presidential Early-Career Award

Design physicist Kelli Humbird, who has been recognized for her innovative application of machine learning in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) physics, was one of three distinguished LLNL researchers honored with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award.

Ensuring Material Survivability

NIF's increasing shot yields—including the achievement of fusion ignition—enable materials and components to be tested for nuclear survivability at hotter and more intense conditions.

Big Ideas Lab Podcast Takes on NIF Sustainment

LLNL is home to NIF, the only lab on earth where fusion ignition has been achieved and repeated. The latest episode of the Big Ideas podcast tackles the work necessary to keep such a facility running. Listen on Apple or Spotify.

Spotlighting a Legend of Laser Safety

When Jamie King first began working as a radiation safety technician, laser safety had yet to truly emerge as a specialized field. King saw opportunities for his efforts to make a noticeable difference in the field.

From Ignition in the Laboratory to Fusion Energy

LLNL physicist Dan Casey outlined the challenges involved in moving from the achievement of fusion ignition at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility to practical inertial fusion energy at a recent Kavli Frontiers of Science symposium in Kyoto, Japan.

NIF&PS Intern Brings New Perspectives to NIF

Marie Durivaux was a unique choice for an internship to develop additional tools and further analyze laser beam quality at NIF.

LLNL Creates World’s Brightest X-Ray Source with NIF and Novel Metal Foams

By combining NIF's laser and ultra-light metal foams, LLNL researchers have produced the brightest x-ray source to date — about twice as bright as previous solid metal versions. The team's work was recently published in Physical Review E.

The Power of Partnerships: How LLNL Laser Technology is Transforming Industrial Manufacturing

Research done by LLNL’s laser science and technology program in the late 1990s is an example of how LLNL’s mission-focused work advancing national security can lead to technology spin-offs with commercial importance through the Lab’s Innovation and Partnerships Office.

LLNL Selected to Lead Next-Gen Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Research

The Department of Energy has selected a new research partnership led by LLNL that aims to lay the groundwork for the next evolution of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, centered around a Lab-developed system dubbed the BAT laser.

A Look Back at the First Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiment in 1974

Fifty years ago in December 1974, LLNL’s inertial confinement fusion program blasted a glass ball so tiny it was hardly visible to the human eye. The experiment was small, but the result was enormous.