The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a laser-based inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research device, located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, United States. NIF's mission is to achieve fusion ignition with high energy gain.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the size of a sports stadium—three football fields could fit inside. NIF’s unique energy and power enable cutting-edge research to help keep America safe and secure, explore new frontiers of science, and lay the groundwork for a clean, sustainable source of energy.

We use NIF’s lasers for several specific missions, including Stockpile Stewardship, high energy density science, Discovery Science, energy security, and building future generations of scientists. And we’re researching more types of applications, including advanced lasers and photonics, additive manufacturing, and missile defense.

Feb 24, 2025 · One of the world’s most powerful and energy-efficient supercomputers helps scientists safeguard the U.S. nuclear stockpile. Read more ... NIF was designed and built in a way to manage some level of laser damage on the optics nearly every time the laser fires.

Dec 15, 2023 · In December 2022, after more than a decade of effort and frustration, scientists at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) announced that they had set a world record by producing a fusion...

National Ignition Facility, laser-based fusion research device, located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, U.S. A major goal for the device is to create a self-renewing, or energy-producing, fusion reaction for the first time. Learn more about the NIF.

The NIF laser has demonstrated that it meets all specifications required for ignition and stockpile stewardship. In late October and early November 2010, NIF set world records for neutron yield from laser-driven fusion fuel capsules and laser energy delivered to ICF targets.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is an operational multi-megajoule laser facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA. In March 2009, construction of NIF was completed and it began full operations.

Aug 7, 2023 · For a second time since its landmark fusion event in 2022, the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) has squeezed enough energy out of a diamond capsule packed with hydrogen to keep the fusion reaction running.

Nov 16, 2023 · NIF is the only laser system in the world that operates above the damage threshold, a feat made possible in part by the Optics Recycle Loop. LLNL’s Optics Materials Science & Technology (OMST) program is constantly identifying new damage mechanisms and seeking ways to mitigate that damage.