Ignition

Celebrating the Milestone of Ignition

On Dec. 5, 2022, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made history, demonstrating fusion ignition for the first time in a laboratory setting—an achievement six decades in the making. Fusion ignition will provide unprecedented capability to support the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Stockpile Stewardship Program and invaluable insights into the prospects of clean fusion energy.

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Watch: Ignition celebration event

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Watch: Celebration highlights

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Read: Ignition celebration recap

U.S. Department of Energy Jennifer Granholm at a press conference

Watch: DOE press conference

Scientists and researchers participating in a Department of Energy panel discussion

Watch: LLNL experts panel Q&A

Beamlines at the National Ignition Facility

Read: Press release

“The pursuit of fusion ignition in the laboratory is one of the most significant scientific challenges ever tackled by humanity. Achieving it is a triumph of science, engineering, and most of all, people.”
– Kim Budil
DIRECTOR, LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Inside Our Fusion Breakthrough: An Ongoing Series

PBS talks about LLNL's fusion milestone.
From '60 Minutes to 'SNL,' fusion ignition news thrusts LLNL into the zeitgeist

The official announcement that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved fusion ignition with an experiment at the National Ignition Facility generated a media blitz, with tens of thousands of news stories that reached billions of people around the globe.

Media Highlights

A 60 Minutes segment on LLNL's fusion ignition milestone

Watch: Nuclear fusion: Inside the breakthrough that could change our world | 60 Minutes

LLNL Director Kim Build speaking at a press conference

Read: Scientists achieve nuclear fusion breakthrough with blast of 192 lasers | New York Times

A holhraum that plays a key role in National Ignition Facility fusion experiments

Read: With historic explosion, a long sought fusion breakthrough | Science

Bill Nye joins news hosts on CNN to discuss LLNL's fusion ignition milestone

Watch: Bill Nye reacts to nuclear fusion breakthrough | CNN

A target used for inertial confined fusion experiments in the National Ignition Facility

Watch: What’s next for nuclear fusion | Washington Post

Beamlines in the National Ignition Facility

Read: Scientists achieve a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. Here’s what it means | National Geographic

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