Edward I. Moses, Principal Associate Director NIF & Photon Science, LLNL
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA, is a Nd:Glass laser facility capable of producing 1.8 MJ and 500 TW of ultraviolet light. It is the world's most energetic laser system, which is now operational with the goals of achieving thermonuclear burn in the laboratory and exploring the behavior of matter at extreme temperatures and energy densities. By concentrating the energy from its 192 extremely energetic laser beams into a mm3-sized target, NIF can produce temperatures above 100 million K, densities of 1,000 g/cm3, and pressures 100 billion times atmospheric pressure—conditions that have never been created in a laboratory and emulate those in the interiors of planetary and stellar environments.
Over 200 experiments have already been performed. This past September 29, the first integrated ignition experiment was conducted, demonstrating the successful coordination of the laser, the cryogenic target system, the array of diagnostics and the infrastructure required for ignition demonstration. In light of this strong progress, the U.S. and the international communities are examining the implication of NIF ignition for inertial fusion energy (IFE). A laser-based IFE power plant will require a repetition rate of 10–20 Hz and a 10% electrical-optical efficiency laser, as well as further development and advances in large-scale target fabrication, target injection, and other supporting technologies. These capabilities could lead to a prototype IFE demonstration plant in the 10- to 15-year time frame. LLNL, in partnership with other institutions, is developing a Laser Inertial Fusion Engine (LIFE) concept and examining in detail various technology choices, as well as the advantages of both pure fusion and fusion-fission schemes.
This seminar will describe the unprecedented experimental capabilities of the NIF, the results achieved so far on the path toward ignition, the beginning of frontier science experiments and plans to transition NIF to a international user facility providing access to researchers around the world. The seminar will conclude with a discussion of the potential of LIFE to provide a limitless supply of carbon-free clean energy.