Target Evolution Is a Key to NIF’s Continued Success
April 20, 2023-
Part 8 of “The Age of Ignition,” a NIF & Photon Science News Special Report describing the elements of the National Ignition Facility’s fusion breakthrough
Lab scientist wins Springer Thesis Award
April 19, 2023-
Elizabeth Grace, the High Energy Density Science (HEDS) Center Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has won a 2023 Springer Thesis Award for her work in short-pulse laser physics.
LLNL’s Alison Christopherson, Art Pak Elected NAS Kavli Fellows
April 19, 2023-
LLNL staff scientists Alison Christopherson and Art Pak have been elected Kavli Fellows of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
LLNL’s Annie Kritcher named to TIME100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world
April 13, 2023-
Time has named Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) design physicist Andrea “Annie” Kritcher to its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The TIME100, now in its 20th year, recognizes the “impact, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals.”
Beyond Diamond: Seeking An Elusive Phase of Carbon
April 13, 2023-
Carbon, an essential ingredient of life on Earth, is a shapeshifter. The extreme strength of carbon-carbon bonds enables the material to take on many different structural forms, called phases or allotropes, at ambient temperatures and pressures.
Examples range from the familiar, such as graphite and diamond, to more exotic forms like zero-dimensional fullerenes, 1-D nanotubes, 2-D graphene...
National Academies Report on HED Science Includes LLNL Contributions
April 12, 2023-
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released a report that identifies key challenges and questions facing the field of high energy density (HED) science and facilities like NIF during the upcoming decade.
Diagnostics Were Crucial to LLNL’s Historic Ignition Shot
April 12, 2023-
Part 7 of “The Age of Ignition,” a NIF & Photon Science News Special Report describing the elements of the National Ignition Facility’s fusion breakthrough
Regional leaders honor fusion ignition team for game-changing innovation
April 10, 2023-
A collective of regional business and civic leaders in the Tri-Valley has honored LLNL’s fusion ignition team members for their “game-changing” breakthrough.
Computing Codes, Simulations Helped Make Ignition Possible
April 6, 2023-
Part 6 of “The Age of Ignition,” a NIF & Photon Science News Special Report describing the elements of the National Ignition Facility’s fusion breakthrough
NIF’s Optics Meet the Demands of Increased Laser Energy
March 29, 2023-
Part 5 of “The Age of Ignition,” a NIF & Photon Science News Special Report describing the elements of the National Ignition Facility’s fusion breakthrough
Laser Focused: Power and Finesse Drove NIF’s Fusion Ignition Success
March 23, 2023-
To achieve fusion ignition on Dec. 5, 2022, the National Ignition Facility (NIF)’s laser system needed to operate flawlessly at both ends of the performance spectrum, delivering immense energies while controlling the energy balance across all 192 laser beams with extreme precision.
NIF’s Fusion Ignition Shot a ‘Hot Topic’ at SPIE Photonics West
March 23, 2023-
A standing-room-only crowd at the recent SPIE Photonics West convention listened raptly to a presentation about LLNL’s long road to fusion ignition on Dec. 5, 2022.
Computational Engineering is key to ignition success
March 16, 2023-
In a room illuminated by blinking lights and glowing monitors, more than 2,000 synchronized computers are triggered to run 5 million lines of code.
Ignition Experiment Advances Stockpile Stewardship Mission
March 9, 2023-
Part 3 of “The Age of Ignition,” a NIF & Photon Science News Special Report describing the elements of the National Ignition Facility’s fusion breakthrough
LLNL’s ‘BAT Laser’ R&D Delivers Big Results
March 9, 2023-
LLNL’s research and development of the Big Aperture Thulium (BAT) laser has been living up to its name, delivering big results in a small package.
Laser shots at National Ignition Facility could spark additional discoveries in astrophysics
March 7, 2023-
In December, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made headlines worldwide. Scientists at the NIF performed the first nuclear fusion experiment in which the energy produced from fusion exceeded the amount of energy directly applied to the fuel to ignite it.
IAEA Webinar Explores NIF’s Ignition and Energy Gain Breakthroughs
March 6, 2023-
The Dec. 5, 2022, NIF experiment that achieved scientific break-even and fusion energy gain for the first time in a laboratory showed that there are no “mystery physics obstacles” standing in the way of producing as much or more energy from a fusion reaction than the energy needed to drive the reaction.
Designing for Ignition: Precise Changes Yield Historic Results
March 1, 2023-
Part 2 of “The Age of Ignition,” a NIF & Photon Science News Special Report describing the elements of the National Ignition Facility’s fusion breakthrough
Gordon Brunton Named NIF Director
March 1, 2023-
Gordon Brunton came to NIF and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) while taking a six-month sabbatical from his previous job and stayed because of the Lab’s “unique environment.” Now, almost 19 years later, Brunton has been named the new director of NIF.
Couple Goes Deep for Underwater Adventures
Feb. 23, 2023-
When they need to get away from it all, Bruno and Korbie Le Galloudec have a special place to escape to. It’s beautiful, filled with wondrous creatures and serene.