From Ignition in the Laboratory to Fusion Energy

Jan. 15, 2025- 
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

Jan. 15, 2025- 
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

Jan. 10, 2025- 
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

Dec. 23, 2024- 
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

Dec. 20, 2024- 
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

Dec. 19, 2024- 
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

Dec. 1, 2024- 
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

Nov. 14, 2024- 
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

Nov. 6, 2024- 
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

Oct. 29, 2024- 
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

Oct. 21, 2024- 
LLNL scientists Daniel Casey, Daniel Clark, and Raymond Smith have been named 2024 American Physical Society (APS) Fellows.

Targeting Lasers as Sources

Oct. 15, 2024- 
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

Oct. 15, 2024- 
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

Oct. 14, 2024- 
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

Oct. 7, 2024- 
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.

Livermore Lab Foundation Selects LLNL Fusion Fellows for 2024

Oct. 2, 2024- 
The Livermore Lab Foundation this summer honored two LLNL student interns as 2024 Fusion Fellows.

Diagnostics Explored the ‘Unknowns’ in NIF Ignition Experiments

Sept. 25, 2024- 
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

Sept. 25, 2024- 
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.

Celebrate Ignition, Science, Art in San Ramon

Sept. 25, 2024- 
Save the Date: On Sunday, Sept. 29, from 2-4 p.m., City Center Bishop Ranch will host a celebration of ignition, science, and the LLNL-designed art installation "Bringing Star Power to Earth."

LLNL Hosts French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission Leaders

Sept. 10, 2024- 
Top leaders of the CEA recently visited LLNL, accentuating a rich shared history of collaboration on fundamental science that supports stockpile stewardship.