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Lasers and Optical S&T
LLNL experts foster national fusion-energy ecosystem at IFE-STAR Conference
More than 200 fusion energy experts from national labs, academia and the private sector gathered in Breckenridge, Colorado, last month to assess the state of the art in inertial fusion energy (IFE). IFE is a form of fusion energy that uses lasers to create the same fusion reactions that power the sun and stars. It relies on fusion gain, in which more fusion energy is…
Nuclear Fusion journal recognizes LLNL paper
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) nuclear engineer Charles Yeamans and co-authors have been recognized with the 2024 Nuclear Fusion Award for outstanding work published in the journal. The paper, “High yield polar direct drive fusion neutron sources at the National Ignition Facility,” was published in 2021. Co-authors are G. Elijah Kemp, Zachary Walters,…
Big Ideas Lab podcast returns to shine a light on Jupiter Laser Facility
Since their invention in 1960, lasers have been a staple of science fiction. But beyond sci-fi, the technology is an essential, often overlooked, part of everyday life. From scanning barcodes to operating on eyes to recreating the conditions in the sun, laser applications range from mundane to life changing. The Jupiter Laser Facility (JLF) at Lawrence Livermore National…
A brighter future for the Jupiter Laser Facility
Since the 1970s, the Janus laser, now part of the Jupiter Laser Facility (JLF), has served as an experimental proving ground to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) laser and fusion programs and the broader high-energy-density and laser science communities. Today, JLF is not only home to Janus — one of the world’s few hands-on laser platforms producing…
Big Ideas Lab Podcast explores the future of fusion energy
Harnessing fusion energy, the same process that fuels our Sun and the stars, to power our world is one of humanity’s most ambitious scientific challenges. In December 2022, that quest took a giant leap forward when Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). But what will it take to translate this…
Ride the optics recycling loop with the Big Ideas Lab Podcast
If Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) was a race car, it would run at the redline most of the time. And NIF’s optics bear the brunt of that stress. Throughout the beamline, thousands of optics, many 40-centimeter square in size, amplify, transmit, reflect, change wavelength or focus the lasers as they travel nearly a kilometer to the…
Big Ideas Lab Podcast takes on National Ignition Facility sustainment
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is home to the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world’s largest and most energetic laser system— and 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. NIF was…
The power of partnerships: How LLNL laser technology is transforming industrial manufacturing
It’s the late 1990s. Lloyd Hackel and Brent Dane are researchers in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) laser science and technology program. They’re developing laser technology for X-ray lithography and satellite imaging research for the Department of Defense when the phone rings. On the line is Curtiss-Wright’s Metal Improvement Company (MIC) asking about…
LLNL selected to lead next-gen extreme ultraviolet lithography research
Decades of cutting-edge laser, optics and plasma physics research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) played a key role in the underlying science that the semiconductor industry uses to manufacture advanced microprocessors. These computer chips drive today’s astounding innovations in artificial intelligence, high-performance supercomputers and smart phones…
John H. Nuckolls receives Enrico Fermi Presidential Award
The Biden-Harris Administration has recognized former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) director John H. Nuckolls with the Enrico Fermi Award, one of the oldest and most prestigious science and technology honors bestowed by the U.S. government. The award will be shared with two other scientists, Héctor D. Abruña and Paul Alivisatos. Nuckols was selected “for…
A look back at the first inertial confinement fusion experiment in 1974
Fifty years ago in December 1974, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)’s inertial confinement fusion (ICF) program blasted a glass ball so tiny it was hardly visible to the human eye. The experiment was small, but the result was enormous. “It was the simplest possible experiment to achieve thermonuclear fusion,” said LLNL senior scientist John Lindl. This…
LLNL leadership engages in global fusion energy efforts
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) leadership is engaging with world leaders to make fusion energy a reality. Last week, LLNL Director Kim Budil joined the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) inaugural meeting of leading fusion energy experts and high-level policymakers from 35 countries in Rome. “In the face of growing global competition and a…
LLNL researchers explore next-gen 3D printing to harness fusion energy
When Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in December 2022, the world’s attention turned to the prospect of how that breakthrough experiment — designed to secure the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile — might also pave the way for virtually limitless, safe and carbon-free fusion energy. Advanced 3D…
Three Lab scientists named 2024 APS Fellows
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists Daniel Casey, Daniel Clark and Raymond Smith have been named 2024 American Physical Society (APS) Fellows. Casey was selected for “outstanding contributions to the understanding of the stagnation conditions required to achieve ignition.” Clark was honored for “extensive contributions to inertial confinement fusion…
LLNL presents on fusion energy at industry collaboration event
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently joined representatives from higher education, including Columbia University, government officials from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Air Force Research Laboratory as well as tech industry guests and moderators from Google, Bloomberg, Fortune and venture capital at the Roadrunner Technology Forum in…
LLNL intern applies lessons learned from home, family
Brianna Barbee is taking a childhood lesson from her mother to heart — and it figured into her summer internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). “My mom always told me, ‘You don’t want to live paycheck to paycheck’ and I really stand by that,” she said. “I was always very studious, but I knew I needed to find a career and not just a 9-to-5 job to pay for…
LLNL’s Kritcher receives Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award
Annie Kritcher, design physicist and lead for integrated modeling in the Inertial Confinement Fusion program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has been awarded the 2024 David J. Rose Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award by Fusion Power Associates (FPA). Presented annually since 1987 in memory of MIT Professor David J. Rose, the award honors early-career…
All ears on the Big Ideas Lab podcast
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has big ideas and is showing the world in the Big Ideas Lab weekly podcast that takes listeners behind the fences and into its heart. “This is where big ideas come to life,” said Lab Director Kim Budil. “To do this, we bring together dynamic teams of many different disciplines — laser physicists and materials scientists and…
SPIE names LLNL’s Zhi Liao a senior member
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Zhi Liao has been elected as a senior member of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. SPIE bestows the senior member designation on individuals who have distinguished themselves through their professional experience and their active involvement within both the optics community and SPIE. Liao is one of 107…
Two LLNL researchers named to Optica’s 2024 class of senior members
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers Paul Armstrong and Brent Stuart have been named senior members of Optica. The professional society’s senior membership status recognizes members with more than 10 years of professional experience in optics or an optics-related field. The 2024 class joins a distinguished group of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs…
