In the News

2017

August 17, 2017
Why Plasma Is the Crown of the Solar Eclipse
Plasma physics plays an important role in the formation of galaxies, the solar and stellar winds, and what may become one of the biggest societal applications of plasma physics: controlled fusion energy. (Live Science)

August 14, 2017
New research initiative turns laser focus on high-energy-density physics
The University of Rochester has recruited Gilbert “Rip” Collins, previously the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Center for High-Energy-Density Physics, to lead a new, multidisciplinary research initiative for high-energy-density physics. (Phys.Org)

August 8, 2017
Scientists Recreate Cause Of Fusion Inside Massive Stars
American researchers have reproduced what’s happening inside massive stars (those that are 10-40 times the mass of the Sun) by compressing hydrogen to 1,000 times the density of lead and a temperature of 50 million°C (about 90 million°F). (IFLScience)

August 7, 2017
National Ignition Facility recreates the interior of heavy stars
Laser facility can create conditions like the interior of a 10 solar mass star. (ars technica)

August 2, 2017
Three MIT scientists honored with John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research
The three researchers study the physics of inertial confinement fusion plasmas and high energy density plasmas, collaborating with laser facilities like OMEGA at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics and the National Ignition Facility. (MIT News)

August 2, 2017
LLNL Researchers Discover Real Cause of Spatter During Metal 3D Printing Processes
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have spent a lot of time studying the numerous issues that plague metal 3D printing, and recently they made an important discovery related to what’s commonly known as spatter. (3DPrint.com)

July 9, 2017
Livermore’s Goddu named Veteran of the Year
Assemblywoman Baker singles out local Marine Corps sergeant. (Pleasanton Weekly)

July 5, 2017
Fusion Gets a Shake-Up at The National Ignition Facility
At the National Ignition Facility, tests are carried out daily using lasers to make nuclear fission happen in a variety of different manners. Hosting the largest laser in the world, this laboratory is the workplace of many talented scientists who are continually collaborating to try and solve the nuclear fusion conundrum. (TrendinTech)

June 19, 2017
Probing the possibility of life on super-Earths
With the discovery of thousands of planets beyond the solar system known as exoplanets, scientists are eager to learn if rocky “super-Earths,” up to 10 times more massive than Earth, might also be able to harbor life. (Phys.Org)

May 30, 2017
10 huge machines that changed science
Why build a laser when you could build 192 lasers? (Popular Science)

May 26, 2017
New technology could revolutionize 3-D printing
A technology originally developed to smooth out and pattern high-powered laser beams for the National Ignition Facility can be used to 3-D print metal objects faster than ever before, according to a new study by Lawrence Livermore researchers. (Phys.Org)

May 25, 2017
LLNL researchers adapt NIF tech for ‘faster-than-ever’ DiAM metal 3D printing
A team of researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory says it has developed a new and faster method for 3D printing metal objects. Called Diode-based Additive Manufacturing (DiAM), the process is reportedly capable of printing “faster than ever” thanks to an OALV technology originally developed for the National Ignition Facility. (3Ders.org)

May 11, 2017
Ultra High Tech Laser, Developed In Livermore, Is Headed For Europe
Experts at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are carefully disassembling and packing up an extraordinary laser that they developed and demonstrated over the past three years, readying it for shipment to the Czech Republic where it will be at the heart of a powerful new European research capability. (The Independent)

April 26, 2017
Getting primed for fusion power
Cracking fusion power would be one of the great technological achievements of the 21st century, providing almost limitless power with few drawbacks. (Cosmos)

April 13, 2017
Anti-Reflective Optical Coating Boosts World’s Most Powerful Laser
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have developed a new anti-reflective coating to protect laser optics, and a new chemical process that makes the optics more resistant to damage. The two technologies will help reduce operational costs and boost the energy output of the National Ignition Facility, the world's largest and highest-energy laser system. (Photonics Online)

April 13, 2017
Strong Funding for NIF Urged
Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-15) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) last week led 25 other Members of Congress in urging strong funding for the National Ignition Facility, which conducts groundbreaking fusion research that could bring about a new energy future while helping America maintain its national security. (The Independent)

April 12, 2017
The Future Of Energy Isn’t Fossil Fuels Or Renewables, It’s Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion as a power source has never been given the necessary funding to develop it to fruition, but it’s the one physically possible solution to our energy needs with no obvious downsides. (Forbes)

April 12, 2017
World’s biggest laser is in California
The world’s largest laser is currently being used in Livermore at the National Ignition Facility and it can reach temperatures six times hotter than the sun. (video) (ABC10.com)

April 10, 2017
Next-generation laser optics for NIF tolerate more power
A new anti-reflective coating and a novel chemical process for laser optics developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers represents an important breakthrough in its effort to boost the energy of NIF’s 192 giant lasers, and cut the cost of repairing or replacing damaged optics vital to its operation. (Laser Focus World)

April 7, 2017
Scientists develop next-generation NIF optics to boost energy and limit damage
A new anti-reflective coating and a novel chemical process for laser optics, developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers, represents an important breakthrough in its effort to boost the energy of the National Ignition Facility’s 192 giant lasers, and cut the cost of repairing or replacing damaged optics vital to its operation. (Phys.Org)

April 7, 2017
Experimental innovation at NIF allows new look at plutonium behavior at extreme conditions
Plutonium diffraction experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are enabling researchers, for the first time, to test theoretical models about how plutonium behaves at high-pressure conditions. (NNSA News)

April 6, 2017
Reduction in Optics Damage Promises NIF Performance Boost
Dramatic improvements in the ability to keep ultra-intense laser light from damaging essential optical components of the National Ignition Facility opens the door to running the giant laser system at higher energies and with improved economy. (The Independent)

April 2017
The Long Road to Ignition
The “break-even” point of inertial confinement fusion remains elusive, but slow and steady progress may yet win the race. (Physics World)

March 6, 2017
Can lasers make controlled nuclear fusion happen?
Scientists have been containing hydrogen plasmas at sun-like temperatures at the US Department of Energy’s National Ignition Facility and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor effort in France and in large facilities. (Futurity)

February 14, 2017
Fusion power: safe, green and coming soon
New projects around the world are bringing us ever closer to the dream of achieving commercially viable fusion power. (The Manufacturer)

February 8, 2017
LLNL HAPLS petawatt laser reaches highest average power; ready for delivery to ELI Beamlines
The High-Repetition-Rate Advanced Petawatt Laser System (HAPLS), being developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, recently completed a significant milestone: demonstration of continuous operation of an all diode-pumped, high-energy femtosecond petawatt laser system. (Laser Focus World)

February 3, 2017
Livermore meets key milestone for delivery of world’s highest average power petawatt laser system
The High-Repetition-Rate Advanced Petawatt Laser System (HAPLS), being developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, recently completed a significant milestone: demonstration of continuous operation of an all diode-pumped, high-energy femtosecond petawatt laser system. (eli beamlines)

February 2, 2017
Livermore’s Advanced Laser System Reaches Major Milestone
The record-breaking system will aid a variety of scientific research. (Signal)

February 2017
High-energy-density science blooms at NIF
The weapons facility is exploring phenomena found in brown dwarfs, the cores of “super Earths,” new phases of carbon, and other extreme environments. (Physics Today))