the future...

Building to a Solution:
The Elements of a Fusion Breakthrough
November 2, 2021

First in a series of articles describing aspects of the National Ignition Facility’s record-breaking 1.3-megajoule experiment.

Part 2: “‘Hybrid’ Experiments Drive NIF Toward Ignition”

Part 3: “NIF Diagnostics Played Key Role in Fusion Milestone”

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an international community of scientists, engineers, technicians, and many other contributors to create an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiment capable of producing more than 1.3 million joules of fusion energy.

The record-setting Aug. 8 experiment on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world’s largest and highest-energy laser system, was the culmination of years of research and development in lasers, optics, diagnostics, target fabrication, experimental design, and computer modeling and simulation.

Those advances have brought researchers to the threshold of ignition, as defined by the National Academy of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)—where a NIF implosion produces more fusion energy than the amount of laser energy delivered to the target. This result enables access to a new experimental regime for the field of high energy density (HED) science and the science-based stockpile stewardship program.