FPN09-24

Livermore Fires All 192 NIF Laser Beams

May 5, 2009

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have completed construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and successfully fired all 192 laser beams simultaneously into a test cell. The lasers delivered almost 2 Megajoules of infrared laser light, which was then successfully converted to 1.1 Megajoules of ultraviolet light, the wavelength needed to conduct ignition experiments. The energy and pulse shape of the beams approximately match that needed for achieving ignition.

NIF Director Ed Moses said, "This is an incredible milestone on our journey to ignition. We are well on our way to achieving what we set out to do -- controlled, sustained nuclear fusion and energy gain for the first time ever in a laboratory setting."

In certifying NIF completion, the Department of Energy stated that the completion of NIF "opens the door to scientific advancement and discovery that promises to enhance our national security, could help to break America's dependence on foreign oil, and will lead to new breakthroughs in the worlds of astrophysics, materials science and many other scientific disciplines."

DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Administrator Thomas D'Agostino, which sponsors the project, said "NIF will be a cornerstone of a critical national security mission, ensuring the continuing reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile without underground testing, while also providing a path to explore the frontiers of basic science, and potential technologies for energy independence."

NIF Director Ed Moses can be reached at moses1@LLNL.gov