Key Discovery for Future Design of Laser–Fusion Energy Reactors
Researchers discover that ions behave differently in fusion reactions. Ions behave differently in fusion reactions than previously expected, according to new findings by scientists at…
National Ignition Facility News
Thermonuclear Fusion in a Sheared-Flow Z-Pinch: Advancing Another Viable Pathway to Fusion Energy
In findings that could help advance another “viable pathway” to fusion energy, research led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicists has proven the existence…
Understanding Hot-Spot Conditions in National Ignition Facility Implosion Experiments
Research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) describes a validation exercise for simple models used to understand hot-spot conditions reached in an implosion, which…
How Scientists Achieved Burning Plasma State – After Decades of Fusion Research
Nature paper chronicles how researchers achieved burning plasma regime for the first time in a laboratory experiment. After decades of fusion research, a burning plasma…
Ironing Out the Interiors of Super-Earth Exoplanets
The discovery of more than 4,500 extra-solar planets has created a need for modeling their interior structure and dynamics. As it turns out, iron plays…
Fusion Breakthrough: At the Brink of Fusion Ignition at National Ignition Facility
Experiments conducted in August achieved a record yield of more than 1.3 megajoules. After decades of inertial confinement fusion research, a record yield of more…
National Ignition Facility Examines the Performance of Various Materials As Fusion Fuel Ablators
Scientists have examined the performance of pure boron, boron carbide, high-density carbon, and boron nitride ablators — the material that surrounds a fusion fuel and…
National Ignition Facility Breakthrough: Experiment Puts Researchers at Threshold of Fusion Ignition
On August 8, 2021, an experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) National Ignition Facility (NIF) made a significant step toward ignition, achieving a yield…
Experiments Probe Carbon’s Crystal Structure at Record Pressures – Five Times the Pressure in Earth’s Core
Carbon is one of the most ubiquitous elements in existence. As the fourth most abundant element in the universe, a building block for all known…
First-Ever Shot With Explosives Conducted at the National Ignition Facility
The first-ever shot to study a high explosive sample was recently conducted at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world’s most energetic laser. The results…
Igniting Shock Waves Using Some of the World’s Most Powerful Lasers to Mimic Stars Exploding As Supernovas
In experiments at the National Ignition Facility, a SLAC-led team found new details about how supernovas boost charged particles to nearly the speed of light….
A Star Is Born: Using World’s Biggest Laser to Study Nucleosynthesis
Probing nucleosynthesis in star-like conditions using the world’s biggest laser at NIF. On a typical day at the world’s biggest laser, the National Ignition Facility…
