News

John H. Nuckolls Receives Enrico Fermi Presidential Award

The Biden-Harris Administration has recognized former LLNL Director John Nuckolls with the Enrico Fermi Award for "seminal leadership in inertial confinement fusion and high energy density physics."

The Fire That Powers the Universe: Harnessing Inertial Fusion Energy

It was a laser shot for the ages. By achieving fusion ignition on December 5, 2022, LLNL proved that recreating the “fire” that fuels the sun and the stars inside a laboratory on Earth was indeed scientifically possible.

LLNL Researchers Explore Next-Gen 3D Printing to Harness Fusion Energy

Advanced 3D printing offers one potential solution to bridging the science and technology gaps presented in manufacturing inertial confinement fusion targets. 3D-printed targets have been successfully used during two NIF experiments in 2024.

Meet NIF&PS: Mechanical Engineer Eddie Jimenez

For many LLNL employees like Eddie Jimenez, working at the Lab is a dream fulfilled. Jimenez is a senior mechanical engineer in the Engineering directorate, matrixed to NIF&PS.

LLNL's Scientific Expertise Highlighted at Plasma Physics Meeting

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

Consortium with Minority Serving Institutions Delivers Opportunities for HEDS Students

The Consortium for High Energy Density Science, formed to expand and diversify the pipeline of students in high energy density science, had much to celebrate during its annual meeting at LLNL.

ICECap Looks to Use Exascale ICF Simulations to Pioneer Digital Design

A multidisciplinary LLNL research team is combining the power of exascale computing with AI, advanced workflows, and graphics processor acceleration to revolutionize the digital designs of high-yield ICF experiments.

LLNL Intern’s Photon Pursuits Inspired by Parents’ Extraordinary Experiences

It’s not surprising that LLNL intern Tiffany Nguyen sees her parents, who fled Vietnam on refugee boats after the war, as role models.

New Plasma Switch Cleans the Pulses in High-Power Lasers

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

Three Lab Scientists Named 2024 APS Fellows

LLNL scientists Daniel Casey, Daniel Clark, and Raymond Smith have been named 2024 American Physical Society (APS) Fellows.

LLNL-Led Team Receives ARPA-E Funding for Technology to Enable Fusion Power Plants

The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy awarded an LLNL-led team $3.4 million to develop new alloys for first wall fusion reactors.

Circuits of Interest Led Engineering Intern to NIF&PS

An interest in engineering sparked by building circuit boards led Columbia University student Lan Huse to an internship with the NIF&PS Laser Systems Engineering & Operations (LASE) team.

Targeting Lasers as Sources

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is advancing laser-driven particle sources research to develop national security solutions.

‘Big Ideas Lab’ Podcast: A Two-Episode Series on Ignition

In the next two episodes of the "Big Ideas Lab" podcast, delve into what it took to achieve ignition—an accomplishment that was over 60 years in the making—and what it means for national security and the future of clean energy.

Celebrating the Art and Science of Ignition at City Center Bishop Ranch

The intersection of science and art was the centerpiece of a celebration at City Center Bishop Ranch for LLNL’s historic fusion ignition breakthrough NIF.

LLNL Presents on Fusion Energy at Industry Collaboration Event

LLNL officials gave a presentation on translating the Lab’s historic December 2022 achievement of fusion ignition into a viable source of commercial fusion power.

Ignition Continues to Spark Interest in NIF&PS Intern Program

The NIF&PS Summer Scholar Program enjoyed another record year in 2024—and, once again, the fusion ignition milestone at LLNL in 2022 was cited as a key reason for the continuing surge of interest.

Livermore Lab Foundation Selects LLNL Fusion Fellows for 2024

The Livermore Lab Foundation this summer honored two LLNL student interns as 2024 Fusion Fellows.

Diagnostics Explored the ‘Unknowns’ in NIF Ignition Experiments

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

Mordy Rosen Shares the Long Road to Ignition

In a paper published in Physics of Plasmas, longtime LLNL physicist Mordy Rosen details decades of pivotal events and daily challenges that led up to ignition at NIF in 2022.