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When lasers cross: LLNL finds a brighter way to measure plasma
Measuring conditions in volatile clouds of superheated gases known as plasmas are central to pursuing greater scientific understanding of how stars, nuclear detonations and fusion energy work. For decades, scientists have relied on a technique called Thomson scattering, which uses a single laser beam to scatter from plasma waves as a way to measure critical information…
Lab physicist receives Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize
Staff scientist Elizabeth Grace of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been awarded the 2026 European Physical Society-Plasma Physics Division (EPS-PPCF) Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize. “I am very honored to receive this award,” Grace said. “I appreciate the support from my mentors and the opportunities at LLNL, which made this work possible.” She was…
Simulations and supercomputing calculate one million orbits in cislunar space
Satellites and spacecraft in the vast region between the earth and moon and just beyond — called cislunar space — are crucial for space exploration, scientific advancement and national security. But figuring out where exactly to put them into a stable orbit can be a huge, computationally expensive challenge. In an open-access database and with publicly available code,…
Light-based 3D printing lets scientists program plastic properties at the microscale
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have co-developed a new way to precisely control the internal structure of common plastics during 3D printing, allowing a single printed object to seamlessly shift from rigid to flexible using only light. In a paper published today in Science, the researchers describe a technique called crystallinity regulation…
LLNL’s energy scale-up brainstorming event focused on accelerating pilot-ready technologies
Solving tomorrow’s challenges in energy security requires scientists to develop new pathways to streamline innovation. To help achieve this goal, the Global Security Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently hosted an “Energy Scale-up Brainstorming Day.” More than 60 researchers across a broad range of expertise gathered to engage in interactive…
LLNL releases Generalized Economics Model for fusion energy
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has released a new tool designed to help the fusion energy industry assess the economic impact of plant operation and design trade-offs for building an inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plant. The Generalized Economics Model (GEM) for Fusion Technology is now available to download. “GEM helps the fusion industry understand how…
Discover LLNL’s Autonomous Sensors program in the latest episode of the Big Ideas Lab podcast
When disaster strikes, every second counts, but sometimes the danger is too great for humans to go first. From mapping terrain to reaching deep underground to detect hidden threats and abandoned wells, unmanned systems equipped with advanced sensors are changing how we respond to crises. Across land, air and sea, drones can act as one coordinated force to increase the…
Fusion Power Associates honor NIF target innovator Abbas Nikroo
Abbas Nikroo, deputy director for physics integration at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF), received the 2025 Distinguished Career Award by Fusion Power Associates (FPA). The FPA board of directors honored Nikroo for his “outstanding decades of unwavering commitment and leadership in scientific and management of the…
From fleeting to stable: scientists uncover recipe for new carbon dioxide-based energetic materials
When materials are compressed, their atoms are forced into unusual arrangements that do not normally exist under everyday conditions. These configurations are often fleeting: when the pressure is released, the atoms typically relax back to a stable low-pressure state. Only a few very specific materials, like diamond, retain their high-pressure structure after returning to…
New code connects microscopic insights to the macroscopic world
In inertial confinement fusion, a capsule of fuel begins at temperatures near zero and pressures close to vacuum. When lasers compress that fuel to trigger fusion, the material heats up to millions of degrees and reaches pressures similar to the core of the sun. That process happens within a miniscule amount of space and time. To understand this process, scientists need to…
LLNL’s Lindstrom honored with IEEE VIS Test of Time Award
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) computer scientist Peter Lindstrom recently received a 2025 IEEE VIS Test of Time Award for his 2014 paper on near-lossless data compression, recognizing its lasting influence on the field of scientific visualization and high-performance computing. Presented annually at the IEEE VIS Conference, the Test of Time Award honors…
Next-generation materials for additive manufacturing
Next-generation technology requires next-generation materials that can be tailored to exact mission requirements. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has already revolutionized industries like aerospace engineering by enabling previously unthinkable component designs. However, this technique has been largely limited to pre-existing metallic alloys. This is due to the…
Measuring nuclear reactions found inside stars
Radiochemistry experts at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently made the first experimental measurements of nuclear reactions in high-energy-density plasma environments, which are similar to conditions found in stars, as well as thermonuclear explosions. According to John Despotopulos, an LLNL radiochemist who leads the research team, the ability to…
LLNL opens applications for 2026 Machinist Apprenticeship Program
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) today opens the application period for the 2026 cohort of the Machinist Apprenticeship Program, a four-year training path that develops the next generation of precision machinists for the Engineering Directorate. The program combines hands-on experience with occupation-related coursework, offering apprentices the opportunity to…
Walk in the shoes of an offsite fellow with the Big Ideas Lab podcast
Walk through any federal building and you might spot them. A Livermore face among the crowd. Not visitors. Not consultants. Fellows. Some are sent to Washington, others remain local in Silicon Valley, and a select few even concentrate their efforts toward the final frontier: space. But whether D.C. or deep space, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) brings its…
LLNL caps SC25 with HPC leadership, major science advances and artificial intelligence
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) capped a milestone week at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC25) with renewed leadership in supercomputing on the Top500, a Gordon Bell Prize win for real-time tsunami forecasting and a slate of sessions that underscored the Lab’s expanding role at the intersection…
Energy-efficient process delivers rare-earth element for magnets
Neodymium is a rare-earth element essential for producing the strongest permanent magnets, which are widespread in defense technologies, hard drives, medical imaging devices, electric vehicle motors, wind turbines and more. Despite its designation in the U.S. as a critical material, neodymium is primarily mined and refined overseas. China controls much of the supply chain,…
LLNL conducts milestone nuclear survivability experiment at NIF, moving weapons modernization forward
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has conducted an experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to assess the ability of U.S. nuclear weapons to survive encounters with adversary missile defenses and reach their targets. This experiment demonstrated a new capability to analyze nuclear materials under extreme conditions, advancing stockpile modernization…
LLNL’s designs enable delivery of W80-4 subassembly First Production Unit ahead of schedule
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently announced the diamond stamping of the first production unit (FPU) of a canned subassembly (CSA) for the W80-4 Life Extension Program, achieved 18 months ahead of schedule at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. As design agency for the W80-4, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)…
Livermore teams honored with Defense Programs Awards of Excellence
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently recognized three teams with the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Defense Programs Awards of Excellence (DPAE) for work completed during calendar year 2023. In total, 93 LLNL employees were honored for their exceptional contributions to Defense Programs. Established in 1982, the Defense Programs Awards…
