Study reveals cause of 3D asymmetry in ICF implosions

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions require very high levels of symmetry in order to reach the high densities and temperatures required for fusion induced self-heating. Even percent-level deviations from perfect spherical symmetry can lead to significant distortions of the implosion and ultimately degrade fusion performance. To that end, researchers from Lawrence Livermore...

Laser researchers revolutionize aviation industry

Editor's note: This article is part of an occasional series about LLNL entrepreneurs.Most people don't realize it, but the airplane they are flying on may be stronger and safer thanks to a pair of former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers who developed and commercialized an innovative but relatively obscure technology.Lloyd Hackel and Brent Dane found a way to improve laser...

Media Advisory: Lawrence Livermore to announce significant step in the construction of next-generation laser system

WHO: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Femtolasers will announce a new partnership.WHAT: Following an international competitive tender, LLNL will announce Femtolasers as the winning bidder for supply of a cutting-edge short pulse front-end, which will seed the High Repetition Rate Advanced Petawatt Laser system (HAPLS), currently under development for the Extreme Light...

Edward Moses to lead Fusion Ignition Science and Applications research effort -- Jeff Wisoff appointed acting principal associate director of NIF & Photon Science

LIVERMORE, Calif. - Edward Moses, the principal associate director for the National Ignition Facility & Photon Science (NIF&PS) Directorate, will be taking a new position to lead a two-year effort to explore the science and applications of ignition, including the commercial prospects for laser inertial fusion energy. In this role, Moses will bring together academia, national and...

Physicist Jim Hammer receives prestigious Edward Teller Award

Jim Hammer, a physicist in the Weapons and Complex Integration Directorate (WCI) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is a recipient of the 2013 Edward Teller Medal.The Fusion Energy Division of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) presented the award recently during the International Inertial Fusion Science Applications (IFSA) conference in Nara, Japan. Hammer was cited for his...

Lab researchers achieve record pressure for solid iron

Iron is the most abundant element in Earth's core and the sixth most abundant element in the universe. As a key component of terrestrial planets and exoplanets, iron has been one of the most studied materials under extreme conditions.In a series of campaigns led by the Lab's Yuan Ping using the OMEGA laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at the University of Rochester...

World's largest laser sets records for neutron yield and laser energy

LIVERMORE, Calif. --  The National Nuclear Security Administration's National Ignition Facility (NIF) has set world records for neutron yield from laser-driven fusion fuel capsules and laser energy delivered to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. NIF researchers will report on these and other recent experimental results this week at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society...