Measuring Iron in Motion at Earth-Core Conditions

Researchers from LLNL and several universities used NIF to enable the first ever simultaneous measurement of iron’s dynamic strength at relevant temperature and pressures. The findings were published in Nature Communications.

NIF and JLF User Groups Celebrate Milestones and New Capabilities

New laser shaping and diagnostic tools, record fusion achievements, and growing industry partnerships that enhance national security and Discovery Science research were highlighted at the 2026 NIF and Jupiter Laser Facility User Groups meeting.

The Big Ideas Lab Podcast Learns to Create a Supernova on Earth

Here on Earth, scientists are exploring astrophysical phenomena in a special lab — NIF. This one-of-a-kind program, called NIF Discovery Science, is the focus of the latest episode of the Big Ideas Lab podcast.

HEDS Fellow Patricia Cho Probes Cosmic Mysteries

For Patricia Cho, an experimental physicist who is conducting opacity measurement experiments at NIF, a High Energy Density Science Center fellowship allowed her to branch out from her Ph.D. work to explore new areas of astrophysics.

TARDIS Experiments Boost NIF Discovery Science and Stockpile Stewardship

On the morning of July 10, researchers completed an experiment that marked the 200th use of NIF’s workhorse TARDIS experimental platform.

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

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

Showing How Plasma Electrons Can Enhance Fusion Reaction Rates

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

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.

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.

Putting the Squeeze on Helium

Researchers are developing a way to “precompress” helium under very high pressure, then blasting it with NIF’s lasers to compress it even further. They want to learn the roles of density and temperature in converting liquid helium from an insulator to a metallic substance able to conduct electricity.

Two LLNL Physicists Honored for International Collaboration

LLNL physicists Hye-Sook Park and George Swadling, Anna Grassi of France’s Sorbonne University, and former Lawrence Fellow Frederico Fiuza of Portugal’s Técnico Lisboa, received the 2024 Lev D. Landau and Lyman Spitzer Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Plasma Physics.

NIF Takes a Quantum Leap into Elusive Metallic Hydrogen

Experiments are underway in NIF’s Discovery Science program as researchers try to characterize hydrogen’s optical properties and equation of state — and perhaps create the metallic state of hydrogen predicted decades ago.

Video: Igniting Scientific Discovery with AI and Supercomputing

LLNL’s ignition breakthrough at NIF was enabled by a combination of traditional fusion target design methods, world-class supercomputing, and artificial intelligence techniques.

Supercomputer Simulations of Super-Diamond Suggest a Path to Its Creation

Another form of carbon has been predicted to be even tougher than diamond. The challenge, which inspires ongoing Discovery Science experiments at NIF, is how to create it on Earth.

Using NIF to Study the Sluggish Pace of Star Formation

To search for solutions to a puzzle of why the star formation rate is declining, an international team of researchers has turned to the unprecedented capabilities of NIF.

LLNL-led project to advance understanding of plasma dynamics for future fusion power plants

A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory-led project aimed at using computing tools to improve understanding of fusion plasma dynamics was among 12 projects recently awarded funding by the Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate fusion power plant development.

New NIF Experimental Platform Will Probe Warm Dense Matter

Warm dense matter (WDM) is present in the interior of planets and some stars and is also produced in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. A new NIF platform will provide unique, high-quality experimental data to guide the complex models required to simulate the properties of WDM.

Experiments Shed Light on Pressure-Driven Ionization in Giant Planets and Stars

Scientists have conducted laboratory experiments at LLNL’s NIF that provide new insights on the complex process of pressure-driven ionization in giant planets and stars.

NIF and JLF User Groups Look Beyond Ignition to Bright Possibilities in Science

Attendees at this year’s NIF and JLF User Groups Meeting celebrated Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) recent fusion ignition breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility, but also kept their focus on looking ahead to a bright future of high energy density (HED) science research.

Iron Under Extremes

Science & Technology Review: LLNL scientists have performed a series of experiments through NIF’s Discovery Science Program to replicate the extreme conditions within super-Earth cores.