In the News (2022)

2022

December 31, 2022
22 Guinness World Records Broken By Californians In 2022
In Livermore this December, the first successful nuclear fusion ignition reaction was achieved, Guinness acknowledged. The ignition was conducted at the United States National Ignition Facility. (Patch)

December 28, 2022
These are the biggest climate stories of 2022
The Department of Energy in December revealed that scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab achieved a nuclear fusion reaction that generated more energy than it took to create. (ABC News)

December 28, 2022
Eight Times Science Exceeded Expectations in 2022
In fusion power—the shotgun marriage of atoms to create electricity—progress is perpetually (and paradoxically) expected to underwhelm. An old joke holds that fusion is always thirty years away. This month, though, researchers inched closer to controlled fusion power. (The New Yorker)

December 28, 2022
Mona Charen: The naysayers are wrong: Fusion will change the world
A government laboratory, after decades of tireless effort and many a disappointment, announces that it has achieved the holy grail of green energy — nuclear fusion ignition! And the response has been ... a damp squib. (Joplin Globe)

December 28, 2022
The scientific achievements that left us speechless in 2022
For the first time in history, energy was produced through nuclear fusion with effective utility. (Valley Post)

December 27, 2022
Tech: A year of turmoil and some breakthroughs
The tech industry celebrated a much-anticipated milestone in fusion energy and what’s been hailed as the best AI chatbot tool ever made available to the general public. (San Francisco Examiner)

December 27, 2022
What Fracking Can Tell Us About the Future of Fusion
A year in which energy markets were torn apart by our species’ long-standing habit of murdering one another ended with a hopeful scientific breakthrough. (Phys.org)

December 27, 2022
Nuclear Fusion Technology Could Be A $40 Trillion Market
Scientists at the Energy Department’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California announced the first-ever demonstration of fusion “signition.” (Forbes)

December 27, 2022
The top news stories of 2022
On December 13, the US Department of Energy announces a “major scientific breakthrough.” (France 24)

December 27, 2022
Nuclear fusion breakthrough should instill immense pride in California
At 1:03 a.m. on a recent Monday, the prospect of a world fueled by clean nuclear fusion took a giant leap forward. (Hanford Sentinel)

December 27, 2022
Reasons for optimism in 2023
We’re a little closer to a new source of clean energy. (San Juan Daily Star)

December 27, 2022
Historic advance in nuclear fusion is truly something to celebrate
I know all the reasons we’re not supposed to freak out about the news that U.S. government scientists just reached a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion. (The Express)

December 27, 2022
Fusion will change the world indeed
I know all the reasons we’re not supposed to freak out about the news that U.S. government scientists just reached a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion. (The Alpena News)

December 27, 2022
Flying Taxis and Satellite Phones Top Tech Trends of 2023
The success of NIF will spur on the dozens of private companies which one day hope to build a commercial fusion reactor. (MFame)

December 26, 2022
Giant laser from ‘Star Trek’ to be tested in fusion breakthrough
The breakthrough came in an impossibly small slice of time, less than it takes a beam of light to move an inch. (Bloomberg News)

December 26, 2022
Successful fusion reaction could be a powerful Christmas gift to the world
Twelve days ago, scientists announced what one day may be considered the greatest Christmas gift to humanity since, if your theology leans this way, the Savior himself. (Herald-Mail)

December 26, 2022
Why I am excited about the nuclear fusion breakthrough
On December 13, 2022, it was reported that the researchers at US National Ignition Facility in California announced they had successfully created nuclear fusion in their labs, resulting in a net energy gain. (The Daily Star)

December 26, 2022
MIT scientists contribute to National Ignition Facility fusion milestone
On Monday, Dec. 5, at around 1 a.m., a tiny sphere of deuterium-tritium fuel surrounded by a cylindrical can of gold called a hohlraum was targeted by 192 lasers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California. (India Education Diary)

December 24, 2022
Top 5 moments from sci-tech
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California on Tuesday revealed that they have achieved fusion ignition, which means the fusion procedure produced more energy than it consumed. (Hindustan Times)

December 22, 2022
Swalwell Joins LLNL In Celebrating Breakthrough
U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-15) recently commended Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’ National Ignition Facility (NIF), located in the Congressman’ district, on its breakthrough development to produce a fusion reaction that creates a net energy gain. (The Independent)

December 22, 2022
Historic Success at the National Ignition Facility
Congratulations are due the many Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists, engineers and technicians who made history earlier this month in an experiment using the world’s biggest laser, the National Ignition Facility. (The Independent)

December 22, 2022
The 10 biggest scientific breakthroughs of 2022
1. Nuclear fusion. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced in December that they had produced the first fusion reaction that created more energy than was used to start it. (The Week)

December 22, 2022
The Top Five Space And Physics Stories Of 2022
After decades of promises, substantial advances were made towards controlled nuclear fusion becoming a viable energy source. (IFL Science)

December 22, 2022
Congress Wraps Up Science Budgets for Fiscal Year 2023
Congress also directs the program to increase funding for the National Ignition Facility to at least $380 million, $30 million more than it specified last year. The boost comes just after the facility achieved the first-ever net-energy gain from a controlled fusion reaction. (The American Institute of Physics)

December 22, 2022
Curb your nuclear enthusiasm
FUSION energy, the magical MacGuffin technology that has powered innumerable science fiction universes for the better part of a century, appeared to have achieved a breakthrough in real life earlier this month when researchers in the US announced that, for the first time that anyone is aware of, a fusion reactor briefly produced more energy than it used to create the reaction. (The Manila Times)

December 22, 2022
Fusion energy isn't a pipe dream anymore
The timeline of history is etched not just by wars and revolutions but also by moments when science yields a discovery that forever changes the course of humanity. It appears we're at precisely one of those moments. (The Korea Times)

December 22, 2022
Fusion Energy at a Crossroads
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced to much fanfare earlier this month that scientists have reached a major milestone in fusion energy research. (The Daily Signal)

December 22, 2022
What’s the difference between nuclear fission and fusion
In both fusion and fission, nuclear processes alter atoms to generate energy. But despite having some things in common, the two can be considered polar opposites. (ZME Science)

December 21, 2022
Giant laser from ‘Star Trek’ to be tested in fusion breakthrough
An initial fusion success is starting the path toward what scientists hope will someday be a new, carbon-free power source. (Bloomberg News)

December 21, 2022
Five things to know about nuclear fusion and if it can power your home
Nuclear fusion energy may have reached a holy grail moment last week, but the path toward powering the world using the technology remains complicated, costly and years away from reality. (Washington Post)

December 21, 2022
National Ignition Facility Hits Fusion Milestone
Scientists at the world’s largest nuclear fusion facility have achieved the phenomenon known as ignition, or the creation of a nuclear reaction that generates more energy than it consumes. (EE Times)

December 21, 2022
Nuclear fusion energy may leave fossil fuels behind
Nuclear fusion energy may leave fossil fuels behind. Earlier this month, the Department of Energy announced what is being called a first-of-its kind achievement, paving the way for advancements in the future of clean energy. (WSBT 22)

December 21, 2022
Supercomputing’s Critical Role in the Fusion Ignition Breakthrough
On December 5th, the research team at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved a historic win in energy science: for the first time ever, more energy was produced by an artificial fusion reaction than was consumed — 3.15 megajoules (MJ) produced versus 2.05 megajoules in laser energy to cause the reaction. (HPC Wire)

December 21, 2022
Fusion Ignition: Energy for the Future, But There’s Lots of Work to Be Done
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California last week announced that it had achieved fusion ignition, “a major scientific breakthrough decades in the making that will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power,” according to the Livermore Lab press release. (Princeton Town Topics)

December 21, 2022
Small steps forward for nuclear fusion
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced last week Tuesday that it had achieved fusion ignition, meaning they had created more energy, 2.5 megajoules, from fusion reaction than the energy used to trigger it, 1.1 MJ. (Khmer Times)

December 20, 2022
From Deepest Cosmic Image To Pig-to-human Heart Transplant, 2022’s Scientific Milestones
Starting from January, we saw surgeons perform the first pig heart transplant on a human and witnessed nuclear scientists advance toward green energy. (RepublicWorld.com)

December 20, 2022
Ali Velshi Celebrates Nuclear Fusion with Kim Budil
MSNBC host and Citizen Board Member Ali Velshi explains a recent advance in nuclear fusion that brings us a step closer to clean energy. (Philadelphia Citizen)

December 20, 2022
Fusion reactions: Not just for your time-traveling DeLorean
After sixty years of research, researchers finally achieved a scientific milestone through a fusion reaction in California. (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

December 20, 2022
Nuclear fusion: IN and OUT
The good news came early last week from the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. (Trinidad Express Newspapers)

December 19, 2022
What the Fusion Energy Breakthrough Really Means
This potentially revolutionary power source looks a little bit closer after December's achievement of fusion energy production. (CNET)

December 19, 2022
Building the Optics for Laser Fusion
NIF has demonstrated, for the first time, fusion ignition. To learn more about the optical effort, OPN spoke with Tayyab Suratwala, the program director for Optics & Materials Science & Technology at NIF.
(Optics & Photonics News)

December 19, 2022
MIT scientists contribute to National Ignition Facility fusion milestone
Unique PSFC-designed spectrometer provides crucial data about the implosion that yielded an historic fusion energy gain. (MIT News)

December 19, 2022
Breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy: ignition achieved at the National Ignition Facility
On 13 December 2022, a major milestone has been achieved at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the USA. (Lady Margaret Hall)

December 19, 2022
Nuclear fusion: how scientists can turn latest breakthrough into a new clean power source
esearchers in the US have finally fulfilled an objective that was set decades ago: the achievement of ‘ignition’ — getting more energy out than you put in — using nuclear fusion. (Positive News)

December 19, 2022
Laser Fusion Ignition: Putting Nuclear Fusion Breakthroughs Into Perspective
This month the media was abuzz with the announcement that the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) had accomplished a significant breakthrough in the quest to achieve commercial nuclear fusion. (Hackday)

December 19, 2022
Fusion is another great leap for mankind
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore fired 2.05 megajoules of laser light into a capsule of fusion fuel, sparking an explosion of 3.15 megajoules of energy, the equivalent of three sticks of dynamite, the first step toward a potential endless supply of carbon-free energy. (Los Angeles Daily News)

December 18, 2022
What’s next after the nuclear fusion breakthrough?
Earlier this week, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced a momentous breakthrough in harnessing controlled nuclear fusion. (The Hill)

December 18, 2022
The buzz around the nuclear fusion breakthrough
In a first, the US-based National Ignition Facility initiated a fusion reaction that generated more energy than was put in. (Hindu Business Line)

December 17, 2022
Fusion Dreams Have Broken Many Hearts, Now New Hope
While the rafters are ringing with praise for the nuclear fusion breakthrough at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, let me inject a sour note. This isn’t the beginning of cheap, safe, non-polluting electricity. It is a scientific milestone, not an electricity one. (White House Chronicle)

December 17, 2022
Despite the hype, we shouldn’t bank on nuclear fusion to save the world from climate catastrophe
The revelation that researchers had succeeded in creating a nuclear fusion reaction that generated more energy than it consumed made reassuring reading last week. (The Guardian)

December 17, 2022
Maxwell King: Seeing hope on, and beyond, the horizon
What has banished the Scrooge in me is the James Webb Space Telescope and the National Ignition Facility in California. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

December 16, 2022
The Energy Department’s fusion breakthrough: It’s not really about generating electricity
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility, or NIF, focused the facility’s 192 lasers on a target containing a small capsule of deuterium–tritium fuel, compressing it and inducing what is known as ignition. (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)

December 16, 2022
We talked to physicists about the fusion breakthrough at a Bay Area lab
SFGATE columnist Drew Magary on why this isn’t the holy grail — but it’s still a cause for celebration (SFGate.com)

December 16, 2022
Due Credit: Sierra, JADE and HPC’s Role in Livermore’s Fusion Ignition Breakthrough
There’s an unsung hero in Livermore Lab’s announcement this week regarding heroic progress made on fusion energy. It was unsung even by Livermore. It’s HPC. (Inside HPC)

December 16, 2022
Booker Leads Colleagues in Urging Biden Administration to Support Budget Increase for Fusion Energy Research
Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) urged Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to increase the Administration’s budget request for next year to $1.04 billion for the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences within the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. (Insider NJ)

December 16, 2022
What To Know About The Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, CA announced Tuesday the first-ever successful nuclear fusion reaction that resulted in a net energy gain, an achievement with the potential to reshape energy production. The Onion tells you what you need to know about the nuclear fusion breakthrough. (The Onion)

December 16, 2022
Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Should Instill Immense Pride In California
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory fusion breakthrough illuminates a new path for clean energy. (Patch)

December 16, 2022
Scientists achieve nuclear fusion breakthrough in historic experiment. How it works
A Dec. 5 fusion test in California yielded more power than it took to produce it, creating a path forward for clean energy. (USA Today)

December 16, 2022
Why burning plasma could be the next milestone in nuclear fusion research
Many achievements in science are called breakthroughs. The announcement this week that scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in the U.S. achieved a breakthrough nuclear fusion reaction, literally was one. (CBC Radio)

December 16, 2022
Why Lionel Messi is the best male athlete of all time
Last week, scientists studying fusion power at the National Ignition Facility of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced they'd finally made a breakthrough. (ESPN)

December 16, 2022
This is how two New Mexico labs contributed to a major fusion breakthrough
For more than two decades, researchers have worked to try and achieve fusion ignition. Scientists in California recently did exactly that — with the help of a few New Mexico labs. (New Mexico Inno)

December 15, 2022
A plasma physicist explains what’s next after this week’s nuclear fusion breakthrough
Tammy Ma was about to board a plane at the San Francisco International Airport when she got the call of a lifetime. She’s a plasma physicist at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world’s largest and most energetic laser. (The Verge)

December 15, 2022
What in the world is nuclear fusion — and when will we harness it?
Fusion power could revolutionize our energy system. But after decades of research, it’s still out of reach.
(The Verge)

December 15, 2022
How Developments In Nuclear Fusion Change Everything | Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains...
VIDEO: What is thermonuclear fusion? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice discuss the Department of Energy’s breakthrough in nuclear fusion and what it means for our energy future. (StarTalk)

December 15, 2022
What you really need to know about that fusion news
There’s been a fusion breakthrough. No, for real this time. (MIT Technology Review)

December 15, 2022
Energy output from nuclear fusion reaction exceeds input
For the first time ever, researchers have carried out a controlled nuclear fusion reaction, producing more energy than the amount pumped into the nuclear fuel to ignite it. (Chemical and Engineering News)

December 15, 2022
How does free, unlimited electricity sound?
A recent nuclear fusion breakthrough could be a game-changer. (Consumer Affairs)

December 15, 2022
Fusion breakthrough for LLNL
A fusion reaction that produced more energy than the laser energy used to drive it has been achieved by the US National Ignition Facility. (Nuclear Engineering International)

December 14, 2022
How Fusion Works and Why It’s a Breakthrough
Last week 192 laser beams at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility heated and compressed a capsule of hydrogen to previously unattainable temperatures and pressures, igniting fusion reactions that produced 50% more energy than the laser beams had delivered. (The Wall Street Journal)

December 14, 2022
See how lasers led to a nuclear fusion milestone
Scientists involved in fusion research across the planet hailed this as a major breakthrough — the first successful “ignition” of fusion in a laboratory. Here is how they did it. (Washington Post)

December 14, 2022
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility Makes Fusion Fuel Breakthrough for Defense, Energy
In a stunning experiment last week, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s giant National Ignition Facility finally lived up to its name, igniting fusion fuel with precisely tailored laser pulses and generating more energy in the ensuing explosion than was needed to trigger it. (The Independent)

December 14, 2022
Major Energy Breakthrough: Milestone Achieved in US Fusion Experiment
The National Ignition Facility achieves ignition in a fusion reactor. (CNET)

December 14, 2022
Unlimited energy from fusion became a more feasible prospect in 2022
Landmark confirmations of physics theory, including an energy production breakthrough at the end of the year, have turned fusion power stations into an engineering challenge rather than a physics one. (New Scientist)

December 14, 2022
The Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Is Great, Late, and Will Anger Nuclear Fission Fans
One day, nuclear fusion could offer an abundant source of clean energy. But we’re not there yet.
(The New Republic)

December 14, 2022
Fusion “Breakthrough” Won’t Lead to Practical Fusion Energy
It’s not about to solve climate change, but what happened at Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) early in the morning on 5 December is still noteworthy. (IEEE Spectrum)

December 13, 2022
Scientists Achieve Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough With Blast of 192 Lasers
Scientists studying fusion energy at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced on Tuesday that they had crossed a major milestone in reproducing the power of the sun in a laboratory.
(The New York Times)

December 13, 2022
Fusion breakthrough sparks hope of unlimited clean power
Federal scientists announced Tuesday that they have created the first nuclear fusion reaction that generated more energy than it took to produce, a major advancement in the worldwide quest for a new source of abundant, clean energy. (Washington Post)

December 13, 2022
Opinion: Historic advance in nuclear fusion is truly something to celebrate
So it’s probably premature for anyone to dance around the house in their bathrobe, singing “Clean, green energy for everyone!,” but … nope, actually, going to do the happy dance anyway. Scientists have accomplished a net energy gain from a fusion reaction. This is potentially the biggest news of the decade. (Washington Post)

December 13, 2022
Breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology could dramatically alter clean energy landscape
VIDEO: For the first time, scientists have produced a fusion reaction that created more energy than was expended, a breakthrough to tap into the same kind of energy that powers the sun and stars. (PBS News Hour)

December 13, 2022
Nuclear-fusion lab achieves ‘ignition’: what does it mean?
Scientists at the world’s largest nuclear-fusion facility have for the first time achieved the phenomenon known as ignition — creating a nuclear reaction that generates more energy than it consumes. (Nature)

December 13, 2022
Nuclear fusion power research passes milestone with ‘fusion ignition’
For the first time, researchers have created a fusion reaction that resulted in a net energy gain. The results, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, mark a significant step on the very long road toward generating clean energy from nuclear fusion. (The Verge)

December 13, 2022
Feds confirm historic fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Lab
VIDEO: Team coverage of the breakthrough fusion experiment successfully completed at Lawrence Livermore Lab. (KPIX-TV)

December 13, 2022
Bill Nye explains why nuclear fusion breakthrough is a big deal
VIDEO: For the first time in history, US scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain. Science educator Bill Nye explains why this is such a big breakthrough. (CNN)

December 13, 2022
Breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy announced
A major breakthrough has been announced by US scientists in the race to recreate nuclear fusion. (BBC News)

December 13, 2022
Neil deGrasse Tyson shares why fusion discovery could change the future of energy
VIDEO: Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses U.S. scientists making a major breakthrough in ‘limitless, zero-carbon’ fusion energy on “Kennedy.” (Fox Business)

December 13, 2022
Energy Secretary On America’s ‘Huge Scientific Breakthrough’ On Nuclear Fusion
VIDEO: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joins Chris Hayes in wake of the announcement that scientists in the U.S. have made a “huge scientific breakthrough” on nuclear fusion that could transform the green energy transition. (MSNBC)

December 13, 2022
Could nuclear fusion energy help fight climate change?
VIDEO: US scientists are set to announce a breakthrough on fusion energy on Tuesday, potentially a step toward one day harnessing the process that fires the sun to generate carbon-free electricity as the world struggles with climate change. (FRANCE 24 English)

December 13, 2022
Why fusion ignition is being hailed as a major breakthrough in fusion – a nuclear physicist explains
Carolyn Kuranz, an associate professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Michigan who has worked at the facility that just broke the fusion record, helps explain this new result. (The Conversation)

December 13, 2022
With historic explosion, a long sought fusion breakthrough
National Ignition Facility achieves net energy “gain” with laser-powered approach. (Science)

December 13, 2022
How Livermore scientists produced fusion breakthrough by recreating the power of the sun
At the Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s $3.5 billion “ignition” facility, the size of three football fields, scientists produce powerful reactions by mashing together — or fusing — hydrogen atoms into helium, using lasers. The breakthrough brings the world closer to a future of dependable electric power, with no carbon emissions or radioactive meltdowns or waste. (San Jose Mercury News)

December 13, 2022
Historic Breakthrough: Fusion Ignition Achieved At Lab In Livermore
Scientists achieved fusion ignition last week at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, which could eventually mean clean energy for homes and businesses, U.S. Department of Energy officials announced Tuesday. (SFGate.com)

December 13, 2022
Energy officials announce nuclear fusion breakthrough, herald a “milestone for the future of clean energy”
US Department of Energy officials announced a history-making accomplishment in nuclear fusion Tuesday; for the first time, US scientists produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to power the experiment. (East Bay Times)

December 13, 2022
Nuclear fusion breakthrough in California seen as milestone toward clean energy future
The historic experiment, which took place Dec. 5 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is the most significant step yet taken in the decades-long quest to produce cheap, clean, carbon-free energy through nuclear fusion. (Los Angeles Times)

December 13, 2022
U.S. reaches a fusion power milestone. Will it be enough to save the planet?
Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy have reached a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. The achievement came at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), a $3.5 billion laser complex at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. (NPR)

December 13, 2022
Livermore Lab breakthrough marks milestone for future of nuclear defense, clean energy
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reached a major accomplishment last week in fusion ignition, which officials said will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean energy. (Livermore Vine/Pleasanton Weekly)

December 13, 2022
Historic Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Announced. Here’s What It Means
US researchers announced a historic nuclear fusion breakthrough on Tuesday, hailing a “landmark achievement’ in the quest for a source of unlimited, clean power and an end to reliance on fossil fuels. (NDTV)

December 13, 2022
U.S. Officials Celebrate Milestone in Fusion, Source of Abundant Clean Energy
U.S. officials hailed a milestone for fusion energy research Tuesday, even as they acknowledged fusion power plants harnessing the power of the sun to supply abundant clean energy may remain decades away at best. (Investopedia)

December 13, 2022
National Ignition Facility surpasses long-awaited fusion milestone
Thirteen years after completion of the $3.5 billion National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the goal embodied in the giant laser’s name has finally been achieved. For the first time in the nearly 70-year history of controlled fusion research, a fusion reaction has yielded more energy than it took to spark it. (Physics Today)

December 13, 2022
What enabled the big boost in fusion energy announced this week?
On Tuesday, the US Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed information that had leaked out earlier this week: its National Ignition Facility had reached a new milestone, releasing significantly more fusion energy than was supplied by the lasers that triggered the fusion. (Ars Technica)

December 13, 2022
We have a genuine fusion energy breakthrough
Researchers at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California, home of the world’s most powerful laser, announced on Tuesday that they crossed the critical threshold in their pursuit of fusion power: getting more energy out of the reaction than they put in. (Vox)

December 13, 2022
Scientists achieve fusion ignition, a major milestone in clean energy production
The researchers achieved the feat on December 5th, when they used 192 lasers at the National Ignition Facility to blast a cylinder containing frozen hydrogen surrounded by diamond. (Engadget)

December 13, 2022
Physicists achieve a “holy grail” of nuclear fusion — with a long road ahead
Last week, the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made nuclear fusion history. At 1 a.m. Pacific on December 5, scientists fired the world’s most energetic lasers to recreate the process that gives stars like the Sun their sparkle — turning hydrogen into helium. (Inverse)

December 13, 2022
Scientists announce major ”limitless clean energy’ breakthrough
“This is game-changing, world-improving, lives-saving history unfolding in real-time,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says. (The Independent)

December 13, 2022
Scientists reveal ‘holy grail’ breakthrough to create ‘limitless clean energy’
Scientists have announced a “historic” breakthough in the quest for fusion energy creation which could provide unlimited amounts of clean energy. (The Mirror)

December 13, 2022
US Department of Energy reports first-ever achievement of fusion ignition
This Tuesday (Nov. 13th), the US Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration announced the first-ever achievement of fusion ignition. The breakthrough should reportedly “pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power.” (New Atlas)

December 13, 2022
DOE Confirms Fusion Energy Milestone at California Lab
The first nuclear fusion reaction to result in a net energy gain has been successfully completed by scientists at a laboratory in California, a milestone in the decades-long pursuit of a way to produce unlimited energy with no carbon emissions or nuclear waste. (Power Magazine)

December 13, 2022
Scientists announce a fusion breakthrough with big implications for clean energy
Scientists at a U.S. national laboratory announced Tuesday that they achieved fusion ignition, a breakthrough decades in the making that could have major implications for clean energy. (NC Policy Watch)

December 13, 2022
Fusion Ignition: Lawrence Livermore Team Details Huge Step in Nuclear Energy Experiments
The National Ignition Facilities team has been working on experiments around nuclear fusion for years. On Dec. 5, the LLNL team surpassed the fusion threshold by achieving 3.15 MJ of fusion energy output only 2.05 MJ delivered to the plasma target. (T&D World)

December 13, 2022
Why nuclear fusion has the whole world freaking out
Harvard scientist Adam Cohen breaks down breakthrough that might prove major turning point in clean energy efforts — but not any time soon. (The Harvard Gazette)

December 13, 2022
Fusion: have we achieved the ‘holy grail’ of physics?
Lawrence Livermore scientists announce key physics breakthrough in fusion experiments. (Cosmos)

December 13, 2022
US scientists reach long-awaited nuclear fusion breakthrough, source says
For the first time ever, US scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain, a source familiar with the project confirmed to CNN. (CNN)

December 12, 2022
Bay Area national lab to announce major breakthrough in quest for carbon-free energy
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have reportedly made a breakthrough in the critical search to create clean energy through fusion. (San Francisco Chronicle)

December 12, 2022
Scientific community buzzing about Lawrence Livermore Lab fusion breakthrough
On Tuesday, officials with the U.S. Department of Energy will announce details regarding a breakthrough fusion experiment conducted by researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (CBS News)

December 11, 2022
Fusion energy breakthrough by US scientists boosts clean power hopes
US government scientists have made a breakthrough in the pursuit of limitless, zero-carbon power by achieving a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the first time, according to three people with knowledge of preliminary results from a recent experiment. (The Financial Times)

December 11, 2022
U.S. to announce fusion energy ‘breakthrough’
The Department of Energy plans to announce Tuesday that scientists have been able for the first time to produce a fusion reaction that creates a net energy gain — a major milestone in the decades-long, multibillion-dollar quest to develop a technology that provides unlimited, cheap, clean power. (Washington Post)

December 7, 2022
Fusion Technology Is Reaching a Turning Point That Could Change The Energy Game
In November 2021, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved a historic step forward for inertial confinement fusion. (Science Alert)

December 7, 2022
Looking at pulsed laser nuclear fusion
In August 2021, the NIF in California produced >1.3 MJ of fusion yield with 1.9 MJ of laser drive — a 70% conversion of laser energy to fusion energy. (Nuclear Engineering International)

December 5, 2022
Harnessing the sweat of the sun
The US$3.5 billion ($5.6 billion) Californian fusion research lab, the National Ignition Facility (NIF), hit headlines in January this year after it confirmed a Q of 0.7. (Forbes Australia)

December 5, 2022
Harnessing the sweat of the sun
The US$3.5 billion ($5.6 billion) Californian fusion research lab, the National Ignition Facility (NIF), hit headlines in January this year after it confirmed a Q of 0.7. (Forbes Australia)

December 2, 2022
Stellar Zaps
The current experiment is using the National Ignition Facility — the world‘s most powerful laser. It‘s at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. It generates almost 200 laser beams, which focus on a target area the size of a pencil eraser. (Star Date)

December 1, 2022
Major nuclear fusion breakthrough
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the US Department of Energy‘s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has recorded the biggest temperature and energy increase ever with a magnetised fusion experiment. (MyBroadband)

December 1, 2022
‘This is really save-the-planet kind of stuff.’ MSU at forefront of fusion energy.
Last year, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory‘s National Ignition Facility generated 10 quadrillion watts of fusion power for the barest fraction of a second by focusing lasers from the football-field-sized facility onto a target roughly the size of a raindrop. (MLive)

December 2022
Simulation looped in
Experiments already benefitting from CogSim are internal confinement fusion (ICF) implosions performed at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF), which uses the world’s largest and most energetic laser. (Deixis Magazine)

November 30, 2022
Fusion power is ‘approaching’ reality thanks to a magnetic field breakthrough
Fusion power may be a more realistic prospect than you think. As Motherboard reports, researchers at the Energy Department’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have discovered that a new magnetic field setup more than tripled the energy output of the fusion reaction hotspot in experiments, “approaching&rdsquo; the level required for self-sustaining ignition in plasmas. (Engadget)

November 30, 2022
Government Scientists ‘Approaching What is Required for Fusion’ in Breakthrough Energy Research
Magnetic fields tripled the energy output of a fusion experiment at the National Ignition Facility, reports a new study. (Vice)

November 28, 2022
Magnetic fields can triple efficiency of laser-initiated fusion reactions
Magnetic fields have the potential to triple the efficiency of laser-initiated, inertial confinement fusion reactors by “insulating” the burgeoning reaction. This is the conclusion of researchers from the National Ignition Facility, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. (The Express)

November 28, 2022
Key Discovery for Future Design of Laser–Fusion Energy Reactors
ons behave differently in fusion reactions than previously expected, according to new findings by scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). This discovery provides crucial insights for the future design of a laser–fusion energy source. (Sky News)

November 28, 2022
Michigan State leading $15M project that could help develop new alternative energy
A Michigan State University professor is leading a project that could help unlock the power of the sun for use as a form of clean energy. (Lansing State Journal)

November 25, 2022
Covering a cylinder with a magnetic coil triples its energy output in nuclear fusion test
A team of researchers working at the National Ignition Facility, part of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has found that covering a cylinder containing a small amount of hydrogen fuel with a magnetic coil and firing lasers at it triples its energy output—another step toward the development of nuclear fusion as a power source. (Phys.org)

November 24, 2022
Anomalous plasma burning heats-up fusion research
Last year and after about a decade of trying, physicists working at the mammoth National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the US finally succeeded in generating a self-sustaining fusion reaction. (Physics World)

November 21, 2022
New Cerebras Wafer-Scale ‘Andromeda’ Supercomputer Has 13.5 Million Cores
“Pairing the AI power of the CS-2 with the precision simulation of Lassen creates a CogSim computer that kicks open new doors for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments at the National Ignition Facility,” said Brian Spears of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (ExtremeTech)

November 17, 2022
LLNL Researchers Win HPCwire Award at SC22
The high performance computing publication HPCwire announced Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as the winner of its Editor’s Choice award for Best Use of HPC in Energy for applying cognitive simulation (CogSim) methods to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. (HPCWire)

November 17, 2022
MSU helms $15M project to help make fusion energy a reality
Michigan State University’s Andrew Christlieb is leading a massive U.S. Department of Energy project to help deliver on the not-yet-realized promise of nuclear fusion. That promise? To create an unmatched source of affordable and sustainable energy. (MSU Today)

November 16, 2022
Laser-driven fusion’s internal energies not matching up with predictions
On Monday, a paper was released that describes some confusing results from the National Ignition Facility, which uses a lot of very energetic lasers focused on a small target to begin a fusion reaction. (Ars Technica)

November 16, 2022
Defying Current Theories, Researchers Say Something ‘Unexpected’ Has Been Observed During Fusion Experiments
New research by a team of physicists with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) seems to show ions behaving very differently during fusion reactions than current models predict, results that could have significant implications in the effort to produce sustained fusion ignition. (The Debrief)

November 16, 2022
Using random numbers to precisely describe the warm, dense hydrogen found in some planet interiors
The most common form of hydrogen in the universe is not the color- and odorless gas nor the hydrogen-containing molecules like water that are well-known on earth. (Tech Explorist)

November 15, 2022
Nuclear fusion discovery uncovers strange behaviour of limitless energy source
Even as scientists achieve new milestones in developing fusion power, new questions arise as to how the basic physics of fusion reactions may work. (Independent Premium)

November 15, 2022
Limitless nuclear fusion energy is one step closer thanks to burning plasma experiment
A group of nuclear fusion researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved self-heating "burning plasma" for the first time ever in January, bringing commercially viable nuclear fusion one step closer. (Interesting Engineering)

November 14, 2022
Nuclear Fusion Experiment Just Made Something Very Strange Happen
According to a paper published on November 14 in the journal Nature Physics, researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory discovered that when deuterium and tritium ions, which are isotopes of hydrogen with one and two neutrons, respectively—are heated using lasers during laser-fusion experiments, there are more ions with higher energies than expected when a thermonuclear burn starts. (Newsweek)

November 14, 2022
HPCwire Reveals Winners of the 2022 Readers’ and Editors’ Choice Awards During SC22
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers applied cognitive simulation, an approach that combines HPC and machine learning, to 100 million inertial confinement fusion (ICF) simulations. (HPC Wire)

November 14, 2022
Fusion researchers spot strange, high-energy behavior in burning plasma
Mimicking the extreme reactions that take place inside the Sun, as is the aim of nuclear fusion researchers of all persuasions, is one thing. Having them generate heat to keep the reactions going and produce clean, limitless energy, would be the true holy grail. (New Atlas)

November 14, 2022
Nuclear fusion reactions create unexpectedly high-energy particles
Burning plasma fusion reactions, which have only recently been created, are producing higher-energy particles than researchers expected. (New Scientist)

November 14, 2022
Nuclear Fusion Experiment Reveals Unexpected Physics Inside ‘Burning Plasma’
Scientists who are working toward the dream of nuclear fusion, a form of power that could potentially provide abundant clean energy in the future, have discovered surprising and unexplained behavior among particles in a government laboratory, reports a new study. (Vice)

November 11, 2022
Magnets might be the future of nuclear fusion
When shooting lasers at a nuclear fusion target, magnets give you a major energy increase. (Popular Science)

November 7, 2022
Nuclear fusion power edges from fantasy to reality
The promise of producing limitless power by fusing atoms has tantalised scientists for decades — but always seemed just out of reach. Now, a series of scientific breakthroughs and a rush of private investment is raising hopes that commercial fusion power could yet play a meaningful role in cutting global emissions before 2050. (Financial Times)

November 4, 2022
Magnetic Field Heats Up Fusion
A magnetic field can significantly boost the performance of a large-scale fusion experiment that may lead to a future source of clean power. (Physics Magazine)

November 4, 2022
Computer simulation at work for the future of nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion works, just not yet well enough. Learn how software simulations running on modern supercomputers and data science are lighting up possible paths forward. (Computer Weekly)

November 4, 2022
RVelectricity: Quartzsite — Here I come…!
And I really want to see the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore, where they blast a deuterium pellet with 192 laser beams in an experiment to develop fusion power. That would be a blast (literally)!
(RV Travel)

November 1, 2022
Laser Focused
When Raspberry Simpson arrived at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in early 2020 for a second research residency, she had supersized plans. (Stewardship Science: The SSGF/LRGF Magazine)

October 20, 2022
Printing a Better Future
James DeMuth ’08 has pioneered a method of 3D printing that could change manufacturing forever.
(Santa Clara University)

October 20, 2022
Fusion Energy Might Power the Grid by the 2030s
Fusion energy businesses obtained $2.83 billion in new financing in the last year, an increase of 139% from 2021, according to the second annual survey from the Fusion Industry Association (FIA). (EE Times)

October 21, 2022
Finding community in high-energy-density physics
Graduate student Skylar Dannhoff discovers the collaborative world of fusion research. (MIT News)

October 20, 2022
MIT Research Group Contributes to Success of Historic Fusion Ignition Experiment
The High-Energy-Density Physics (HEDP) group at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center has focused on an approach called inertial confinement fusion (ICF), which uses lasers to implode a pellet of fuel in a quest for ignition. (Go Photonics)

October 19, 2022
Seven from MIT named American Physical Society Fellows for 2022
APS honors Anna Frebel, Liang Fu, Nuh Gedik, Or Hen, Nuno Loureiro, Fredrick Seguin, and Jesse Thaler for research, applications, teaching, and leadership. (MIT News)

October 18, 2022
World’s First Nuclear Fusion Power Plant Wants to Equal Fossil Fuel Output
The world’s first nuclear fusion power plant is planned to be built in North Nottinghamshire in the U.K., and hopes to match fossil fuel power plants in terms of energy output. (Newsweek)

October 10, 2022
New plasma research to be presented at American Physical Society’s Division of Plasma Physics Meeting
Scientists from around the world will present new findings in plasma research at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Plasma Physics. (Science Magazine)

October 6, 2022
Livermore’s new ‘Dream Big’ astronaut mural aims to inspire youth
Livermore is starting to become known for its public art installations throughout the city, particularly the large murals dispersed throughout downtown on various building walls. (Danville-San Ramon)

October 5, 2022
Did magnetism shape the universe? An epic experiment suggests it did
The idea that magnetism helped shape the universe has been dismissed by scientists for decades, but now new experiments involving plasma that is hotter than the sun are prompting a rethink. (New Scientist)

October 4, 2022
Many scientists see fusion as the future of energy — and they&rsquo'e betting big.
The other fusion method is called inertial confinement fusion, using powerful lasers to heat and compress deuterium and tritium inside a capsule. One of the leading developments in this is at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California. (National Geographic)

October 4, 2022
What to know about fusion
NIF, however, achieved a major milestone last year by reaching a “burning plasma regime,” in which the fusion reactions generate most of the heat in the system rather than the lasers themselves. (Atlantic Council)

October 2, 2022
Chemists journey to the center of the Earth
The chemistry of the core drives our planet’s magnetic field and holds clues about Earth’s history. Geochemists are going to extremes to understand it. (Chemical & Engineering News)

October 1, 2022
See the Facility That Tests Whether Nuclear Weapons Work
Gargantuan lasers induce a fusion reaction to test the U.S. nuclear stockpile. (Scientific American)

September 29, 2022
Burning Plasma Team Receives 2022 John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research
A research team from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and other institutions have been awarded the 2022 John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research by the American Physical Society. (Go Photonics)

September 28, 2022
New Livermore Mural Celebrates Local Astronaut Legends
Downtown Livermore is home to a new mural meant to inspire viewers to reach for the stars. (The Independent)

September 27, 2022
LLNL’s Diffraction Gratings to Enable Most Powerful Laser
Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and their collaborators developed high-energy pulse compression gratings that will be installed in what will be the world’s most powerful laser system. (Photonics Media)

September 27, 2022
Scientists are leaving the ivory tower for climate tech startups. Here’s why
In search of more impact, researchers, academics, and scientists are leaving universities to join startups in nascent VC-backed fields like carbon removal. (Protocol)

September 23, 2022
Livermore’s new ‘Dream Big’ astronaut mural aims to inspire youth
Livermore is starting to become known for its public art installations throughout the city, particularly the large murals dispersed throughout downtown on various building walls. (Livermore Vine)

September 21, 2022
Fusion Energy Scientist Speaks To CleanTechnica About Fusion Potential
To provide some clarity and insights about fusion energy and its potential, it was a privilege to interview Dr. Pravesh Patel, one of the researchers at the National Ignition Facility who worked on the project with the milestone results. (CleanTechnica)

September 18, 2022
National Ignition Facility‘s laser-fusion milestone ignites debate
After failing to reproduce last year‘s record-breaking fusion-energy shot, scientists at the US National Ignition Facility have gone back to the drawing board. (Physics World)

September 16, 2022
A look at why there is new interest in fusion energy
Temperatures hotter than the center of the sun, the highest-energy lasers in the world, magnets the size of a basketball court—and the promise of virtually unlimited energy on Earth. (WTXL)

September 15, 2022
HOTTING UP Inside the race for ‘unlimited’ fusion energy as US, UK and China create ‘artificial suns’
THE “Holy Grail” of virtually limitless clean energy from nuclear fusion reactors is within reach after a series of major breakthroughs, scientists believe. (The U.S. Sun)

September 15, 2022
Huge gratings promise 50PW pulses
Lawrence Livermore collaboration says its meter-scale pulse compression gratings offer a route to unprecedented laser power. (Optics.org)

September 13, 2022
Laser potentissimi dritti al cuore delle nane rosse
In a recent article published in the journal Physics of Plasmas, a team of researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Llnl) describes a new experiment to study the physics in action in the depths of red dwarfs and shed light on the transport mechanisms of the energy produced by these little nuclear furnaces. (Media INAF)

September 12, 2022
LLNL directors talk past accomplishments, current challenges during 70th anniversary event
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, like long-standing research and development institutions, traditionally has been a place where employees spent most of their careers until they retired. (Livermore Vine)

September 7, 2022
Korea’s New Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Maintains 100 Million°C for 30 Seconds! Here’s How It Was Achieved
Californian scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility claimed their 2021 experiment created a self-sustaining fusion reaction. (Tech Times)

September 6, 2022
MIT students contribute to success of historic fusion experiment
Students are part of large team that achieved fusion ignition for the first time in a laboratory. (MIT News)

September 5, 2022
LLNL, Korea Embark on Climate Change Collaboration
Leaders at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on basic science and technology in the renewable energy, climate science, data science and characterizations arenas. (The Independent)

August 31, 2022
National lab partnership aims to enhance fusion energy production
In August 2021, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) had a breakthrough. They succeeded in a nuclear fusion energy experiment by using a laser shot to spark an explosion of energy from a peppercorn-sized fuel capsule. (Texas A&M Engineering)

August 29, 2022
The NIF in California gets one step closer to nuclear fusion
In August 2021, a nuclear fusion reaction triggered at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California, US, generated more energy than the energy that directly went into heating the target capsule where the reaction took place. Now, a year later, the team has confirmed that the reaction met another important milestone: ignition. (Frontline)

August 26, 2022
This giant laser can simulate a planet’s core
How do you study the innards of alien worlds? You just need the world’s largest laser. (Vox)

August 22, 2022
Plasmas could be used to make the world’s most powerful laser
Because plasma can shape very intense light without being damaged, it could be used to make components for lasers thousands of times more powerful than the strongest ones that exist. (New Scientist)

August 22, 2022
Multi-Petawatt Laser Overcomes Power Limitations of Conventional Solid-State Optical Gratings
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have created a portable multi-petawatt laser that circumvents the power constraints of traditional solid-state optical gratings by using plasma transmission gratings. (AZO Optics)

August 19, 2022
Nuclear fusion breakthrough as ‘ignition’ finally achieved
Three new studies celebrate a 2021 fusion power breakthrough, but controversy remains around replicating the findings. (The Independent)

August 18, 2022
A-Rod and Marc Lore invested in this startup trying to make fusion with insanely powerful lasers
As the effects of climate change become more obvious, the promise of nuclear fusion — a virtually unlimited source of carbon-free energy — is getting a new wave of attention. (CNBC)

August 17, 2022
The frontrunners in the trillion-dollar race for limitless fusion power
One milestone came quietly this month, when a team of researchers at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California announced that an experiment last year had yielded over 1.3 megajoules (MJ) of energy, setting a new world record for energy yield for a nuclear fusion experiment. (Fast Company)

August 17, 2022
Experiment Brings Nuclear Fusion ‘One Step Closer’ As Source Of Energy
Scientists have confirmed a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion involving the first successful instance of ignition, the point at which a nuclear fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining. (Nucnet)

August 17, 2022
California Team Achieved First Self-Sustaining Fusion Reaction, Fail to Replicate It
Around this time last year, a group of scientists conducted a landmark experiment that yielded more than 1.3 megajoules of energy. After an analysis, the team of scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has confirmed that they had successfully achieved a nuclear fusion reaction that was energetic enough to sustain itself. (Gadgets 360)

August 16, 2022
US Breakthrough In Nuclear Fusion Puts Dreams of Unlimited Clean Energy Within Reach
National Ignition Facility has met the Lawson criterion for nuclear fusion, but that only applies to real reactors, not laser experiments. (Newsbreak)

August 15, 2022
Confirmed: Scientists Reach Ignition On Nuclear Fusion
Scientists have confirmed in three peer-reviewed papers that the nuclear fusion experiment conducted on August 8, 2021, triggered a reaction that could be self-sustaining, which means the world is one significant step closer to a massive source of energy. (The Daily Wire)

August 14, 2022
Breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy: Ignition confirmed in record 1.3 megajoule shot
Last year in August, a yield of more than 1.3 megajoules (MJ) was achieved at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) for the first time. (Interesting Engineering)

August 14, 2022
Ignition confirmed at log 1.3 MJ
After decades of researching inertial confinement fusion, the yield of more than 1.3 megajoules (MJ) First achieved on August 8, 2021. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have put the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on the threshold of fusion acquisition and scientific ignition. (La Ronge Northerner)

August 14, 2022
Scientists report major breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy
Scientists recently confirmed that they achieved a significant breakthrough in nuclear fusion. (The Blaze)

August 14, 2022
Fusion power breakthrough celebrated in new studies, but controversy remains
On 8 August, 2021, 192 laser beams pumped vastly more power than the entire US electric grid into a small gold capsule and ignited, for a faction of a second, the same thermonuclear fire that powers the Sun. (Independent)

August 13, 2022
Researchers achieve Nuclear Fusion breakthrough
On August 8, 2021, for the first time, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) National Ignition Facility (NIF) recorded the yield of 1.3 megajoules (MJ) from Fusion research. One year later, the scientific results of the historic experiment have been published in three peer-reviewed papers. (TimesNow)

August 12, 2022
Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Confirmed: California Team Achieved Ignition
A major breakthrough in nuclear fusion has been confirmed a year after it was achieved at a laboratory in California. (Newsweek)

August 12, 2022
Studies confirm that NIF reaches the ignition threshold
Almost a year ago, researchers at the National Ignition Facility reached a historic milestone in the field of nuclear fusion: They reached the ignition threshold (or “ignition” threshold), or the point at which the fusion reaction is energized. (Swords Today)

August 11, 2022
Ignition confirmed in a nuclear fusion experiment for the first time
We have ignition. An analysis has confirmed that an experiment conducted in 2021 created a fusion reaction energetic enough to be self-sustaining, which brings it one step closer to being useful as a source of energy. (NewScientist)

August 8, 2022
Fusion Turns Up the Heat
A laser-fusion scheme has achieved ignition—an important step on the road to energy production. (Physics)

August 1, 2022
Inside France’s super-cooled, laser-powered nuclear test lab
Lawrence Livermore describes a process for testing nuclear material with lasers at low temperatures as a “cryogenic target system,” which it runs in the National Ignition Facility. (Popular Science)

July 19, 2022
Fusion Industry survey shows significant increase in private investment
FIA said: ”When the history books are written about fusion energy, the last 12 months will be seen as the turning point when it became clear that fusion would move out of the laboratories and into the marketplace.” It cited a number of examples, including a controlled “burning plasma” for the first time at the National Ignition Facility in California. (Nuclear Engineering International)

July 8, 2022
Boldly Captured: Star Trek Into Darkness
For Star Trek Into Darkness, director J.J. Abrams and cinematographer Dan Mindel, ASC, BSC initially planned to shoot digitally in 3-D, but, in the end, their shared affection for the anamorphic format and their desire to maintain visual consistency with 2009’s Star Trek (AC June ’09) led them to choose film instead.
(American Cinematographer)

July 2022
Plasma Physics Laboratory Researchers Ask: Has Fusion’s Day Come?
For more than 70 years, physicists have been trying to achieve controlled nuclear fusion — the process that powers the sun and the thermonuclear (i.e., hydrogen) bomb — and for nearly as long, critics have been yanking their chains. (Princeton Alumni Weekly)

June 28, 2022
Breaking the strongest chemical bonds with laser shock compression
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists recently obtained high-precision thermodynamic data on warm dense nitrogen at extreme conditions that could lead to a better understanding of the interiors of celestial objects like white dwarfs and exoplanets. (Phys.org)

June 24, 2022
NMC Names Its Outstanding Alumni Award Winners
Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) has announced its 2022 Outstanding Alumni award recipients: Andrea (Annie) Kritcher, 2001–2003. (The Ticker)

June 8, 2022
Uncovering a novel way to bring to Earth the energy that powers the sun and stars
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have uncovered critical new details about fusion facilities that use lasers to compress the fuel that produces fusion energy. (PPPL News)

June 7, 2022
8 of the Largest Tools in the World
The world’s most powerful laser is actually 192 separate beams aimed at a target roughly the size of a pencil eraser. (History)

May 31, 2022
Fusion won’t avert need for climate change ‘sacrifice’, says nuclear energy expert
But the potentially abundant, if distant, source of sustainable energy could offer hope. (The Register)

May 25, 2022
Carving a Space-Time Crystal in a Plasma
Plasmas of charged particles—electrons or ions—can act as mirrors that reflect high-intensity light without being damaged. This property has been exploited to build plasma mirrors and other optical components for high-power lasers such as those used at the National Ignition Facility. (Physics)

May 23, 2022
Nuclear fusion: Key developments in 2021
There are at least 35 global companies and an October survey from the US Fusion Industry Association (FIA) and the UK’s UKAEA had information from 23 of them. Of the companies featured from the US (12), UK (five) and India, China, Canada, Australia, Germany and France, 15 were founded after 2010. (NS Energy)

May 20, 2022
Gilroy architect helping to create a more vital downtown Hollister
Architect Reid Lerner has worked on projects as diverse as the restoration of the historic Miller Red Barn in Gilroy, constructed in 1891, and National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, once described as the most important building in the world” for its work in advanced fusion technology. (Benito Link)

May 20, 2022
Lab internship program bridges gap between degree and military service
Justin Witkowski came to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for a unique internship opportunity, one that would allow him to gain some practical experience during the gap between completing his undergraduate degree and starting his military career in the Navy. (Mirage News)

May 19, 2022
Smooth operators: the dark art of optical polishing
Gravitational wave detectors Ligo and Virgo have opened a new window into the cosmos, detecting the faint ripples of distant colliding black holes and neutron stars. (Electro Optics)

May 16, 2022
Engineering students show off mechanic projects
The Chico State College of Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Management students, who are set to graduate this month, displayed their senior capstone projects Friday at the college’s Senior Capstone Design Expo. (Chico Enterprise-Record)

May 5, 2022
NNSA Budget: FY22 Outcomes and FY23 Request
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s budget is increasing steadily in support of work to reconstitute plutonium production capabilities and other key infrastructure supporting the nuclear weapons stockpile, though funding for some science programs is under pressure. (FYI: Science Policy News from AIP)

April 26, 2022
Laser Optics Are Key To Recent Sustainable Energy Breakthrough
The current reliance on fossil fuels has obvious implications for ecosystems and climate, and ZYGO’s ongoing partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s ) National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States is helping to bring safe, virtually unlimited carbon-free energy one step closer to reality. (Metrology News)

April 26, 2022
Recent Nuclear Fusion Breakthroughs and the Opportunities They Offer
A milestone has been reached in the quest to harness the power of the stars for cost-effective clean energy on Earth by scientists working to establish practical nuclear fusion. (AZO Cleantech)

April 25, 2022
White House Sets Sights on Commercial Fusion Energy
At a recent White House summit, fusion experts discussed ways to accelerate the development of commercial fusion energy and embed justice considerations into the foundations of the nascent industry.
(American Institute of Physics)

April 19, 2022
Laser fusion startup ignited by early-stage funding
Both of the commercial ventures have been inspired by recent results from the National Ignition Facility (NIF), where researchers used the biggest laser in the world to produce a fusion output of 1.35 megajoules — more than 70% of the laser input energy, and seen as significant as it demonstrates the possibility of achieving ignition and fusion “burn” with a laser. (Optics.org)

April 8, 2022
Laboratory experiments replicate volatile plasma at the center of galaxy clusters
A team of U.S. National Science Foundation grantee astronomers and astrophysicists based at the University of Rochester and other institutions examined the inner workings of heat conduction in galaxy clusters—thousands of galaxies held together by gravity. (Technology.org)

April 8, 2022
National Ignition Facility Using Zygo Custom Optics for Laser Fusion Application
ZYGO’s ongoing partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States is helping to bring safe, virtually unlimited carbon-free energy one step closer to reality. (Novus Light Technologies Today)

April 8, 2022
Laser Fusion for a Sustainable Future
SCHOTT is advancing innovations in specialty glass that promote a more sustainable future and is well on its way to achieving climate neutrality by 2030. (Our Great Minds)

April 8, 2022
Thales : Lasers in the spotlight
Lasers have been around for over 60 years, but their untapped potential is still massive. They could unlock amazing new opportunities in healthcare, industry and the energy sector, provided their energy efficiency can be further improved. (Market Screener)

April 6, 2022
The Holy Grail of Energy Generation Might Finally Be Within Our Grasp
If you’ve ever been outside during the day, you’ve seen a fusion reactor—though you’re not supposed to stare directly at it. The sun is our fusion reactor in the sky. (The Daily Beast)

April 6, 2022
Porsche-backed startup pictures breakthrough for 3D printing using metal
Much of the most impactful climate tech works its magic behind the scenes. I firmly believe the convergence of digitalization and industrial transformation is one great example of that thesis. (GreenBiz)

April 5, 2022
U.K. Startup’s ‘Big Friendly Gun’ Achieves Fusion Breakthrough
A U.K. startup backed by China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. proved a novel approach to generating fusion energy in a breakthrough that could slash the technology’s cost by providing cheap, clean nuclear fuel. (Bloomberg News)

April 5, 2022
Lasers Recreate the Conditions Inside Galaxy Clusters
Galaxies don’t exist in a vacuum. Ok, maybe they do (mostly, since even interstellar space has some matter in it). But galaxies aren’t normally solitary objects. Multiple galaxies interacting gravitationally can form clusters. (Universe Today)

April 5, 2022
Lasers could revolutionize medicine, future energy needs
Evidence suggests laser-based fusion energy could actually be a viable. (Ingersoll Voice)

April 4, 2022
Lawrence Livermore achieves a burning plasma in the lab
Inertial fusion requires a thousand-fold compression of matter to ultrahigh densities and temperatures. The Sun and other stars use gravity to do the job and fuse hydrogen into helium. To mimic the effect on Earth, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) use the world’s most powerful bank of lasers to squeeze isotopes of hydrogen—deuterium and tritium—in a 2-mm-wide capsule. (Physics Today)

April 4, 2022
HB11 Energy Showcases the World’s First Laser-Driven Nuclear Fusion
HB11 Energy, the Australia-based first fusion energy company demonstrated a world-first ‘material’ number of fusion reactions by a private company, producing ten times more fusion reactions than expected based on earlier experiments at the same facility. (GoPhotonics)

April 1, 2022
“Fusion Is a Source of Near-Limitless, Clean Power”
It sounds fantastic — an answer to the dire need to quickly transition to clean and sustainable energy. But is nuclear fusion our way out of the energy crisis? (E-Magazine)

April 1, 2022
ZYGO Laser Optics Are Key To Recent Sustainable Energy Breakthrough
The current reliance on fossil fuels has obvious implications for ecosystems and climate, and ZYGO’s ongoing partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States is helping to bring safe, virtually unlimited carbon-free energy one step closer to reality.
(Australian Manufacturing)

March 31, 2022
The Planet Inside
Earth’s magnetic field, nearly as old as the planet itself, protects life from damaging space radiation. But 565 million years ago, the field was sputtering, dropping to 10% of today’s strength, according to a recent discovery. (Science)

March 30, 2022
Nuclear Fusion Shines a Light on Clean Energy Alternatives
Efforts to achieve fusion using inertial confinement aren’t as advanced, although the US-based National Ignition Facility and French Laser Mégajoule are leading the way. (E-Magazine)

March 30, 2022
HB11 demonstrates nuclear fusion using laser
Australian fusion energy company HB11 Energy has demonstrated a world-first ‘material’ number of fusion reactions by a private company, producing 10 times more fusion reactions than expected based on earlier experiments at the same facility. (Energy Source & Distribution)

March 30, 2022
First ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Character Promos Reveal More Aliens And Enterprise
Also, some of the gangways and machinery look inspired by real-life equipment, like those found at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which was used for the outside of the warp core in Star Trek Into Darkness. (TrekMovie.com)

March 29, 2022
Three lab scientists are inducted into LLNL’s Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame
One current and two former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have been inducted into the Laboratory’s Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame (EHF). (R&D World)

March 29, 2022
HB11 Energy achieves world-first hydrogen fusion milestone with a laser, plans US$20m Series A
Sydney-based deep tech startup HB11 Energy has successfully shown what one of its physicist co-founders proved theoretically as a path to clean energy generation, using a laser to demonstrate a “material” number of fusion reactions between hydrogen and boron-11. (Business News Australia)

March 25, 2022
Laser Blazes New Milestone Toward Self-Sustaining Fusion Energy
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (LLNL NIF) said that, for the first time, physicists have engineered and tested a laser system in which fusion itself — as opposed to external heating mechanisms — provided most of the heat needed for a fusion reaction. (Photonics Media)

March 18, 2022
Limitless clean power? White House makes risky bet on fusion
President Biden wants the warmth of many suns to power American homes and businesses. (E&E News)

March 17, 2022
Researchers design holographic lenses based on plasma
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California Berkeley, and Princeton University have recently used holography to design a new type of lens made from plasma. (Phys.org)

March 16, 2022
German start-up aims to generate unlimited clean fusion energy with lasers
In August, scientists took a significant step forward in laser fusion science in August at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. (CNBC)

March 15, 2022
LLNL constructing high-power laser for new facility at SLAC
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s decades of experience in developing high-energy lasers is now being tapped to provide a key component of a major upgrade to the U.S. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Linac Coherent Light Source, located at Stanford University, California. (Optics.org)

March 15, 2022
Scientists replicated conditions that exist within galaxy clusters
To understand supercluster evolution, it is essential to understand the inner workings of the building blocks of superclusters—galaxy clusters. (Tech Explorist)

March 15, 2022
Astronomers Wanted to Find Out What’s It Like Inside a Massive Galaxy Cluster
If you think our Milky Way galaxy is big for those 100,000 light-years that it measures from one edge to the opposite, you should think about a galaxy cluster more often. That’s the place where hundreds of galaxies ‘meet.’ (Health Throroughfare)

March 11, 2022
Using pump lasers to create plasma lenses that focus at very high intensity levels
A team of researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of California at Berkeley and Princeton University has developed plasma-based techniques to build a lens for laser beams with petawatt-scale power. (Phys.org)

March 11, 2022
What’s it like inside a massive galaxy cluster? Scientists used 196 lasers to find out
An Earthbound experiment is replicating the extreme heat found in galaxy clusters located in deep space using nearly 200 lasers. (Space.com)

March 10, 2022
Scientists Use an Array of 196 Lasers to Recreate the Conditions Inside Galaxy Clusters
Galaxies rarely live alone. Instead, dozens to thousands are drawn together by gravity, forming vast clusters that are the largest objects in the universe. (AZoOptics)

March 9, 2022
Thermonuclear Fusion in a Sheared-Flow Z-Pinch: Advancing Another Viable Pathway to Fusion Energy
In findings that could help advance another “viable pathway” to fusion energy, research led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicists has proven the existence of neutrons produced through thermonuclear reactions from a sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinch device. (SciTechDaily)

March 9, 2022
Researchers unravel the inner workings of heat conduction in galaxy clusters
The inner workings of heat conduction in galaxy clusters have been unraveled by a collaboration of international researchers led by the University of Oxford, University of Rochester and the University of Chicago. (Phys.org)

March 8, 2022
Dr Andrea Kritcher — Team Leader, Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
This International Women’s Day, AZoCleantech spoke to inspiring women who have made a difference in the Clean Technology field. They share their experiences of working in STEM, their key achievements, any future projects they are working on, and the importance of breaking the bias to develop an equal future. (AZoOptics)

March 8, 2022
Scientists use 196 lasers to recreate the conditions inside gigantic galaxy clusters
Galaxies rarely live alone. Instead, dozens to thousands are drawn together by gravity, forming vast clusters that are the largest objects in the universe. (Phys.org)

March 8, 2022
Nuclear Fusion Edges Closer As Another Way to Harness Sun’s Energy Revealed
New research could open up another viable pathway to fusion energy, the process that powers the stars and creates their heat and light emissions. (Newsweek)

March 8, 2022
How Scientists Achieved Burning Plasma State — After Decades of Fusion Research
After decades of fusion research, a burning plasma state was achieved on November 2020 and February 2021 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world’s most energetic laser. (SciTechDaily)

March 7, 2022
Understanding the promise and peril of fusion power: Chimera or climate panacea?
Decades of as-yet unrealized optimism for the safe and effective application of fusion power keep us waiting, but the climate clock keeps ticking in search of a fusion “solution.” (Yale Climate Connections)

March 7, 2022
Scientists confirm thermonuclear fusion in a sheared-flow Z-pinch device
In findings that could help advance another “viable pathway” to fusion energy, research led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicists has proven the existence of neutrons produced through thermonuclear reactions from a sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinch device. (Phys.org)

March 4, 2022
Progress stokes optimism about usable fusion energy
European scientists have announced a further step toward the goal of creating usable fusion energy by creating a five-second burst of power—double their previous record. (China Daily)

March 3, 2022
National Ignition Facility details its attainment of a burning plasma
The Sun and other stars rely on gravitational compression to overcome the coulombic repulsion between atoms and power their fusion. (Physics Today)

March 2, 2022
Two wins for nuclear fusion power
An experiment at a European testbed suggests that the Iter nuclear fusion reactor has a good chance of succeeding. Meanwhile, US scientists breathed new life into an entirely different approach to the almost perfect power source. (Bits & Chips)

February 28, 2022
3dpbm Pulse Podcast Ep. 3: James DeMuth of Seurat Technologies
The special guest for this third episode of the 3dpbm Pulse Podcast 2022 is James DeMuth, CEO of Seurat Technologies, one of the most exciting new companies to emerge, targeting metal additive mass production, with its unique Area Printing process. (3D Printing Media Network)

February 24, 2022
Laser experiments re-create iron dynamics in planetary interiors
New measurements of pressurized iron offer clues as to the kinds of exoplanets that can sustain liquid-iron cores and magnetospheres. (Physics Today)

February 24, 2022
Burning plasma: are we close to cracking fusion?
Scientists in the U.S. have taken us one step closer to safe, sustainable fusion technology. (Palatinate)

February 23, 2022
Practical fusion reactors
Fusion promises to generate cheap, carbon-free, always-on energy, with no meltdowns and little radioactive waste. (MIT Technology Review)

February 23, 2022
Nuclear fusion: how excited should we be?
There’s been tremendous excitement about recent results from the Joint European Torus (JET) facility in the UK, hinting that the dream of nuclear fusion power is inching closer to reality. (The Conversation)

February 23, 2022
World’s largest laser sets huge fusion record with ‘burning’ plasma
Two studies on the fusion experiment titled "Design of inertial fusion implosions reaching the burning plasma regime" and "Burning plasma achieved in inertial fusion," have been published in the journal Nature Physics. (TweakTown)

February 22, 2022
Super-Earths May Have Longer Lasting Magnetospheres, Making Habitability More Likely
“Super-Earths” keep popping up. The most numerous exoplanets are those between Earth and Neptune in size, yet they’re also the most perplexing. (Optic Flux)

February 20, 2022
US Lab Takes Further Step Towards Nuclear Fusion Goal
US physicists have confirmed that they achieved a stage in nuclear fusion called "burning plasma" last year. (Energy & Power)

February 17, 2022
New studies highlight the potential of self-heating plasmas for fusion energy
Two research teams working at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) demonstrated new approaches to increase nuclear energy production via a laser-driven fusion reaction. (Phys.org)

February 16, 2022
Private Players Fuel Latest Fusion Craze
Nuclear fusion has been generating more excitement in recent months than it has in years. (Energy Intelligence)

February 16, 2022
The promise of fusion
Nuclear fusion has been on mankind’s agenda for decades, but it presents the most daunting engineering challenges. If we get it right the prize is virtually unlimited clean energy. So are we getting there, or does it remain in the realms of science fiction? (Engineering and Technology)

February 10, 2022
JET nuclear fusion reactor shatters record for energy production
The Joint European Torus (JET) fusion reactor near Oxford in the UK has produced the highest level of sustained energy ever from atom fusion, Nature has reported. (Engadget)

February 10, 2022
European scientists set nuclear fusion energy record
European scientists on Wednesday announced fresh progress in the drive to make nuclear fusion a practical, safe and clean energy source, saying an experiment at a site in England set a record for the amount of fusion energy produced, more than doubling the previous mark. (Gulf Daily News)

February 9, 2022
Nuclear-fusion reactor smashes energy record
A 24-year-old nuclear-fusion record has crumbled. Scientists at the Joint European Torus (JET) near Oxford, UK, announced on 9 February that they had generated the highest-ever sustained energy from fusing together atoms, more than doubling their own record from experiments performed in 1997. (Nature)

February 9, 2022
UK scientists set record for generating energy from nuclear fusion with reaction ‘10 times hotter than the sun’
Scientists in the UK have set a new record for generating energy from nuclear fusion, the same process that powers our Sun seen as a potential future source of near limitless power. (Sky News)

February 9, 2022
Inside the race for ‘unlimited’ fusion energy as US, UK and China create ‘artificial suns’ to solve world’s gas crisis
The “Holy Grail” of virtually limitless clean energy from nuclear fusion reactors is within reach after a major breakthrough, scientists believe. (The Sun)

February 9, 2022
European fusion reactor sets record for sustained energy
In experiments culminating the 40-year run of the Joint European Torus (JET), the world’s largest fusion reactor, researchers announced today they have smashed the record for producing controlled fusion energy. (Science)

February 9, 2022
Fusion experiment smashes record for generating energy, takes us a step closer to a new source of power
An experimental nuclear fusion project has set a world record in generating energy on Earth using the same kind of reactions that power the sun. (Live Science)

February 9, 2022
Five seconds, 59 megajoules: A new record for tokamak fusion
Joint European Torus (JET), located near Oxford in the UK, had set a new record for released energy. Over the course of a five-second “pulse,” 59 megajoules of energy were released, double the previous record for tokamak fusion set at JET in 1997. (Ars Technica)

February 9, 2022
Industry partnerships for laser fusion
A week ago, German startup Marvel Fusion announced development partnerships with Trumpf, Thales, and Siemens Energy. (Laser Focus World)

February 9, 2022
UK and EU scientists generate energy ten times hotter than the sun
TThe Joint European Torus (JET) experimental fusion machine based near Abingdon in Oxfordshire has enabled scientists to generate energy that released heat ten times hotter than the sun. (Euro Weekly)

February 3, 2022
Lars Jaeger: What Is the Latest Story on Nuclear Fusion?
Progress in nuclear fusion (as opposed to nuclear fission, on which today’s controversial nuclear power generation is based) is of great importance because nuclear fusion offers the possibility of safe and (almost) climate-neutral energy generation. (finews.com)

February 3, 2022
How Effective Communicators Inspire Scientists To Solve The World’s Biggest Problems
NIF’s breakthrough is “momentous” because it’s the closest anyone has come to recreating the power source of stars in a controlled lab environment here on Earth. (Forbes)

February 3, 2022
Laser System Enables Milestone Step Toward Self-Sustaining Fusion Energy
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (LLNL NIF) said that, for the first time, physicists have engineered and tested a laser system in which fusion itself — as opposed to external heating mechanisms — provided most of the heat needed for a fusion reaction. (Photonics Media)

February 2, 2022
U.S. Project Reaches Major Milestone toward Practical Fusion Power
In a world first, the National Ignition Facility has generated a “burning plasma,” a fusion reaction on the cusp of being self-sustaining. (Scientific American)

February 2, 2022
US Researchers Report Successful Fusion Reaction
American scientists have announced another step toward producing energy from nuclear fusion.
(Voice of America)

February 2, 2022
Livermore Reports Burning Plasma for Fusion Energy
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have succeeded in creating the conditions necessary for self-heating nuclear fusion fuel, known as burning plasma, a crucial step in harnessing fusion energy.
(EE Times)

January 31, 2022
LANL: More Than 60 Laboratory Staff Members Recognized With DOE Secretary’s Honor Awards
The four Los Alamos teams that received awards were the W76-2 Modification Team, the Burning Plasma on the National Ignition Facility Team, the Nuclear Incident Response Stabilization Team, and the Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute Material Removal Team. (Los Alamos Reporter)

January 31, 2022
Can nuclear fusion power the race to net zero?
A few recent breakthroughs have left nuclear fusion on the cusp of elusive ‘ignition’. Will it come in time to help the world decarbonise by 2050? (Energy Monitor)

January 29, 2022
Life on Earth-like exoplanets could be protected by strong magnetic fields
The extreme pressures and temperatures found in the cores of Earth-like planets have been recreated using an ultrahigh-power laser at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). (Physics World)

January 29, 2022
Scientists Achieve Milestone in Self-Sustaining Fusion Energy, Burning Plasma in U.S. Experiments for First Time
For more than 60 years, scientists have sought to understand and control the process of fusion, a quest to harness vast amounts of energy released by the type of reactions that power the sun and stars. (Good News Network)

January 28, 2022
Scientists Make Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough With Help From World’s Biggest Laser
U.S. scientists have used the world’s largest laser to take a “critical step” towards self-sustaining nuclear fusion power. (Newsweek)

January 27, 2022
Physicists report first creation of self-heating plasma for nuclear fusion
Nuclear physicists are notching scientific advances for fusion energy, fueling hopes — and billions in investment — to create an energy source that doesn’t produce carbon or nuclear waste. (Axios)

January 27, 2022
Cutting-edge laser lab brings fusion energy closer than ever
Scientists and engineers at the Lawrence Livermoore National Laboratory say they successfully created burning plasma in a laboratory that briefly sustained itself by the heat of its own nuclear fusion reactions — a key milestone on the road to harnessing functional fusion energy. (Popular Mechanics)

January 27, 2022
US lab sparks nuclear fusion. What will it take to make it last?
Researchers at a California lab caught a glimpse of the future when they created a fusion reaction that lasted a fraction of a second. If scientists find a way to sustain this nuclear fusion for longer, they could create a revolutionary source of clean energy. (The Christian Science Monitor)

January 27, 2022
Burning plasma signals step forward in race for nuclear fusion
US scientists have succeeded in demonstrating self-heating plasma in a crucial step towards self-sustaining fusion energy. (The Register)

January 27, 2022
US Lab Achieves New Nuclear Fusion Stage! More Energy Emission Recorded
A U.S. laboratory achieved a new nuclear fusion stage called the “burning plasma.” This is currently a big deal for science since various experts across the globe are still trying to crack the mystery of this thermonuclear reaction since it can offer a massive amount of power. (Tech Times)

January 27, 2022
Breakthrough at cutting-edge laser lab brings fusion energy closer than ever
Scientists and engineers at the Lawrence Livermoore National Laboratory say they successfully created burning plasma in a laboratory that briefly sustained itself by the heat of its own nuclear fusion reactions — a key milestone on the road to harnessing functional fusion energy. (Tech Radar)

January 27, 2022
Burning plasma state achieved at Lawrence Livermore Lab
One of the last remaining milestones in fusion research before attaining ignition and self-sustaining energy production is creating a burning plasma, where the fusion reactions themselves are the primary source of heating in the plasma. (Nuclear Newswire)

January 27, 2022
Nuclear Fusion Milestone As Energy Emitted Exceeds Energy Put In For First Time
Back in August, researchers from the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory believed they might have finally crossed the threshold of “ignition” of inertial confinement fusion. Now they have confirmed it. They managed to get more energy out of the fusion reactor than was originally needed to make the material fuse. (IFLScience)

January 27, 2022
New experiment results bolster potential for self-sustaining fusion
For more than 60 years, scientists have sought to understand and control the process of fusion, a quest to harness the vast amounts of energy released when nuclei in fuel come together. (Science Daily)

January 27, 2022
Fusion Scientists Make ‘Burning Plasma’ Breakthrough With 129-Laser Experiment
Scientists from the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California demonstrated “burning plasma” in the laboratory for the first time, a crucial step towards achieving practically limitless fusion energy, a report from the BBC explains. (Interesting Engineering)

January 27, 2022
DOE lab achieves major milestone for fusion energy
Scientists at a Department of Energy national laboratory are reporting a significant milestone in their pursuit of the distant quest to generate limitless, carbon-free electricity from fusion energy reactors. (E&E News)

January 27, 2022
Nuclear fusion milestone creates “burning plasma” for the first time
For the prospect of limitless, clean energy produced through nuclear fusion to become a reality, scientists need the reactions at the heart of the technology to become self-sustaining, and newly published research has edged them closer to that goal. (New Atlas)

January 27, 2022
Livermore Lab Scientists Create ‘Burning Plasma’ in Nuclear Fusion Experiment
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have reached a key milestone in the course toward generating clean and renewable energy from nuclear fusion by demonstrating for the first time a “burning plasma” in a lab experiment. (ExecutiveGov)

January 26, 2022
Hot stuff: Lab hits milestone on long road to fusion power
With 192 lasers and temperatures more than three times hotter than the center of the sun, scientists hit — at least for a fraction of a second — a key milestone on the long road toward nearly pollution-free fusion energy. (Associated Press)

January 26, 2022
Researchers achieve milestone on path toward nuclear fusion energy
U.S. government scientists said on Wednesday they have taken an important step in the long trek toward making nuclear fusion — the very process that powers stars — a viable energy source for humankind. (Reuters)

January 26, 2022
Scientists hit a milestone toward nuclear-fusion energy
Video: U.S. government scientists said they have created a ‘burning plasma’ — the very process that powers stars — in the laboratory, marking a milestone toward making nuclear fusion a viable energy source for humankind. (Reuters)

January 26, 2022
NIF: US lab takes further step towards fusion goal
US physicists have confirmed that they achieved a stage in nuclear fusion called “burning plasma” last year. (BBC News)

January 26, 2022
Government Scientists Create ‘Burning Plasma’ In Fusion Energy Milestone
Scientists have brought the dream of nuclear fusion one step closer to reality with the first-ever demonstration of a “burning plasma” in the laboratory, a milestone that marks “a critical step towards self-sustaining fusion energy,” reports a new study. (Vice)

January 26, 2022
Hot stuff: Fusion power milestone reached
Researchers said Wednesday they were able to spark a fusion reaction that briefly sustained itself. The ultimate goal, still years away, is to generate power the way the sun generates heat. (NBC News)

January 26, 2022
Physicists create self-burning plasma, but is it a step towards sustainable nuclear fusion energy?
Last February, about an hour's drive from San Francisco, a pinhead-sized sun of sorts flared into fleeting existence. In less than a billionth of a second, it shrugged off 170 kilojoules — the equivalent energy of nine 9-volt batteries, or about half a chocolate-coated biscuit. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

January 26, 2022
‘Burning’ hydrogen plasma in the world’s largest laser sets fusion records
The secret behind a record-breaking nuclear fusion experiment that spit out 10 quadrillion watts of power in a split second has been revealed: a “self-heating’ — or “burning” — plasma of neutron-heavy hydrogen inside the fuel capsule used in the experiment, according to researchers. (Live Science)

January 26, 2022
Powerful Sandia machine-learning model shows diamond melting at high pressure
A Sandia National Laboratories supercomputer simulation model called SNAP that rapidly predicts the behavior of billions of interacting atoms has captured the melting of diamond when compressed by extreme pressures and temperatures. (Mirage News)

January 20, 2022
Seurat raises $21M to take on casting and decarbonize manufacturing
CEO James De Muth targets millions of metal parts produced with “nuclear-inspired”" Area Printing technology. (3D Printing Media Network)

January 19, 2022
3D printing’s next act: big metal objects
A new metal 3D printing technology could revolutionize the way large industrial products like planes and cars are made, reducing the cost and carbon footprint of mass manufacturing. (Axios)

January 19, 2022
A Blue Collar Scientist: Changing the World Through Boundless Ambition and Company Ethos, with LLNL Director Kim Budil
Podcast: One look at the news today will tell you the world is facing a whole host of problems: from political upheaval to the socio-economic effects of Covid-19 all the way to climate change — it’s pretty clear we have a lot of work to do. At times, it can really feel like we’re being overwhelmed by the issues we have to tackle. (Mission.org)

January 13, 2022
The Most Habitable Alien Planets Might Be ‘Super-Earths’
They’re bigger than your average Earth, and now we’ve learned they might just be better at hosting life.
(Daily Beast)

January 13, 2022
Measuring The Melting Curve Of Iron At Super-Earth Core Conditions
A new study appearing in Science suggests that Earth-like planets outside of the solar system are likely to have a longer duration of magnetically shielded habitability than Earth. (UIC Today)

January 13, 2022
Scientists wielded giant lasers to simulate an exoplanet’s super-hot core
The molten cores of larger rocky exoplanets should stay hot longer than those within small worlds, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science. That’s good news for interstellar explorers–because a molten core is probably required for life to develop on a planet. (Popular Science)

January 13, 2022
Rocky Exoplanets with Four to Six Times Earth’s Mass Have Longest Dynamos, Study Suggests
In new research, a team of scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and elsewhere used high-energy lasers at the National Ignition Facility and X-ray diffraction to determine the iron-melt curve up to a pressure of 1,000 gigapascals (nearly 10,000,000 atmospheres), three times the pressure of Earth’s inner core and nearly four times greater pressure than any previous experiments. (Sci-News)

January 11, 2022
Fusion Power Generation May Come Sooner Than You Think
Public-private partnerships are investing in a clean energy future. (Discourse)

January 10, 2022
Fusion’s role in fighting climate change
Excitement about fusion energy is growing. The international ITER project in France, which counts China, India, Europe, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States as its partners, is starting to assemble the world’s most powerful fusion experiment. (Tech Xplore)

January 6, 2022
Fusion energy is a reason to be excited about the future
It’s been a long road, but recent advances mean we’re closing in on a game-changing technology. (Vox)

January 6, 2022
Was 2021 A Breakthrough Year For Fusion Energy?
In a year where the news has been dominated by Covid vaccines and variants, billionaires blasting into space and climate change (the IPCC report, COP26, crazy weather…), those plugged into the science and energy news may have noticed an uptick in stories about fusion energy. (Forbes)

January 4, 2022
A cautiously positive outlook for 2022
Laser fusion could become even more important. In August 2021, the National Ignition Facility achieved a record of 70% conversion from laser input to output energy. This relates to the world’s most pressuring question: How can we generate more energy within a smaller carbon footprint (Laser Focus World)

January 3, 2022
China’s ‘Artificial Sun’ Project Heats Up the Competition
While China and other nations pour billions of dollars into developing the technology, researchers say we are still decades away from a working reactor emerging from the experimental stages. (Asia Financial)