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Nuclear deterrence
Labs tap Silicon Valley to bolster computing
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory today announced the awarding of a subcontract to Penguin Computing — a leading developer of high-performance Linux cluster computing systems based in Silicon Valley — to bolster computing for stockpile stewardship at its three national security laboratories. Under the terms of…
From grassland to 21st century science
Sixty years ago, the UC Radiation Laboratory began testing high explosives at what would become one of the nation’s most sophisticated non-nuclear weapons testing sites, an 11 square-mile plot of rural grassland tucked away in the steep ravines and tawny rolling hills near the Alameda-San Joaquin County line.On Thursday, Site 300 celebrated its 60th anniversary, with a…
National Ignition Facility fires 300th shot in FY15
Last week, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) fired its 300th laser target shot in fiscal year (FY) 2015, meeting the year’s goal more than six weeks early. In comparison, the facility completed 191 target shots in FY 2014. Located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the NIF is the world’s most energetic laser.Increasing the shot rate has been a top…
Supplying the 'life-blood' of science
Located one-and-a-half floors underground in LLNL's Bldg. 151, the Nuclear Counting Facility (NCF) leverages its well-shielded, low-background environment to accurately measure nuclear materials for the National ignition Facility (NIF) and a variety of other Laboratory programs.The NCF has been providing high-sensitivity radiation measurements since the inception of…
Lawrence Livermore breaks ground on unclassified supercomputing facility
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory broke ground today on a modular and sustainable supercomputing facility that will provide a flexible infrastructure able to accommodate the Laboratory’s growing demand for high performance computing (HPC). The $9.875 million building, located on the Laboratory’s east side, will ensure computer room space to support the Advanced…
Lab researcher inspired by math
What makes Carol Meyers tick is a series of proofs, theorems and complex equations.The self-described "nerd" has loved mathematics since she was young, and it has helped her succeed as a researcher in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Computational Engineering Division."I've always loved numbers," Meyers said. "I like to think logically. Higher math allows me to…
Livermore joins with Oak Ridge and Argonne to develop next supercomputers
The Lab has joined forces with two other national labs to deliver next generation supercomputers able to perform up to 200 peak petaflops (quadrillions of floating point operations per second), about 10 times faster than today's most powerful high performance computing (HPC) systems. The Collaboration of Oak Ridge, Argonne and Livermore (CORAL) national labs will produce…
Laser fusion experiment yields record energy at LLNL's National Ignition Facility
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- In the early morning hours of Aug.13, Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility (NIF) focused all 192 of its ultra-powerful laser beams on a tiny deuterium-tritium filled capsule. In the nanoseconds that followed, the capsule imploded and released a neutron yield of nearly 3x10 15 , or approximately 8,000 joules of neutron energy -- approximately…
Charles Verdon selected as Lawrence Livermore principal associate director for Weapons & Complex Integration
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Director Parney Albright has selected Charles Verdon as principal associate director for Weapons & Complex Integration . Verdon has served in this position in an acting capacity since April 2013."Charlie brings an extraordinarily broad national security technical leadership background and expertise to this…
Early science runs prepare Lawrence Livermore National Lab's Sequoia for national security missions
Sequoia, a world-class IBM BlueGene/Q computer sited at LLNL for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), is exploring a broad range of science to shakeout the machine and fully develop the capabilities the system will require to fulfill its national security missions, starting early next year. Researchers from NNSA's three nuclear weapons laboratories are…
NNSA stockpiles stewardship science talent
Among the hundreds of students spending their summer at the Lab are five graduate students from universities across the United States who were selected for a prestigious multi-year fellowship.Matthew Buckner, Jordan McDonnell, Joshua Renner, Richard Kraus and Anna Nikiforova have been participating in the Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (SSGF), a four-year program…
