LLNL Hosts Workshop to Shape the Future of Diode-Pumped Laser Technology

LLNL recently hosted a workshop to assemble the world’s top experts in diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) systems, a key technology for the future of inertial fusion research and energy.

Big Ideas Lab Podcast Takes on Tech Spinoffs and Partnerships

The Big Ideas Lab podcast takes a deep dive into how the Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO) facilitates tech transfer at LLNL and some of the most impactful success stories, including one startup inspired by research into protecting NIF's optical components from laser damage.

Big Ideas Lab Podcast Explores the Future of Fusion Energy

In the latest episode of “The Big Ideas Lab” podcast, learn the next steps needed to turn the dream of fusion energy into reality.

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.

Introducing El Capitan

One of the world’s most powerful and energy-efficient supercomputers helps scientists safeguard the U.S. nuclear stockpile. Read more ...

Three LLNL Scientists Honored with Presidential Early-Career Award

Design physicist Kelli Humbird, who has been recognized for her innovative application of machine learning in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) physics, was one of three distinguished LLNL researchers honored with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award.

Big Ideas Lab Podcast Takes on NIF Sustainment

LLNL is home to NIF, the only lab on earth where fusion ignition has been achieved and repeated. The latest episode of the Big Ideas podcast tackles the work necessary to keep such a facility running. Listen on Apple or Spotify.

From Ignition in the Laboratory to Fusion Energy

LLNL physicist Dan Casey outlined the challenges involved in moving from the achievement of fusion ignition at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility to practical inertial fusion energy at a recent Kavli Frontiers of Science symposium in Kyoto, Japan.

LLNL Creates World’s Brightest X-Ray Source with NIF and Novel Metal Foams

By combining NIF's laser and ultra-light metal foams, LLNL researchers have produced the brightest x-ray source to date — about twice as bright as previous solid metal versions. The team's work was recently published in Physical Review E.

The Power of Partnerships: How LLNL Laser Technology is Transforming Industrial Manufacturing

Research done by LLNL’s laser science and technology program in the late 1990s is an example of how LLNL’s mission-focused work advancing national security can lead to technology spin-offs with commercial importance through the Lab’s Innovation and Partnerships Office.

LLNL Selected to Lead Next-Gen Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Research

The Department of Energy has selected a new research partnership led by LLNL that aims to lay the groundwork for the next evolution of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, centered around a Lab-developed system dubbed the BAT laser.

A Look Back at the First Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiment in 1974

Fifty years ago in December 1974, LLNL’s inertial confinement fusion program blasted a glass ball so tiny it was hardly visible to the human eye. The experiment was small, but the result was enormous.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.