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 Laboratory (LLNL) has been a beacon in laser science for 50 years. The current episode of the Big Ideas Lab podcast takes a look at the facility — and the unique opportunities it offers. Listen on Apple and Spotify.

JLF was a predecessor of the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Many ideas and techniques used at NIF began at JLF, including fusion experiments and diagnostics.

As a user facility and a founding member of LaserNetUS, JLF allows researchers across the world to test their ideas. Anyone — from a graduate student with a crazy hypothesis to a senior physicist chasing their next big result — can apply to use these multi-million-dollar machines. And if accepted, they can fire the lasers themselves.

“We can support about 15 experiments every year. We have three different platforms. They have different characteristics, depending on what users want to do with them,” said JLF director Félicie Albert. “In 2024, we had 65 unique users. They come from other national labs, from academia, from international institutions. We welcome everyone.”

LLNL postdoctoral fellow Liz Grace is one of those users. JLF is hands-on and open to trying new things. For her, that makes the facility a scientist’s dream.

“The data doesn't come alive in the same way as if you took the data yourself. You know exactly where it came from, and you have a connection to the place and to the laser,” said Grace. “Creating that yourself is a very different feeling from being handed a data set.”

Tune into the “Big Ideas Lab” to learn how JLF has inspired and equipped Albert, Grace and many others to discover the next laser breakthrough. Listen on Apple or Spotify.