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Future NIF Experiments

Artist's Conception of a Black HoleAn artist's conception of a black holeUnparalleled opportunities to explore the frontiers of basic science became available to researchers when the National Ignition Facility (NIF) began full-scale experiments in 2010. A significant percentage of the first NIF shots will be devoted to experimental science under the extremely high temperatures, pressures, and densities that only NIF can create in a laboratory setting.

Basic research in areas such as astrophysics, planetary physics, hydrodynamics, nonlinear optical physics, materials science and inertial confinement fusion will help scientists better understand the universe and can lead to technological advances. NIF will also serve as a recruiting tool and training ground for attracting and training outstanding young scientists.

NIF's first basic science studies will focus on re-creating the properties of celestial objects – such as stars, giant planets and supernovae – in scaled laboratory experiments. With 192 beams delivering up to two megajoules of ultraviolet energy, NIF will enable scientists to explore some of the most extreme conditions in the universe.

Here are links to more detailed information on NIF's basic science programs:

Laboratory Astrophysics

Laboratory Astrophysics

NIF will enable the study of the nuclear reactions that power the stars and create the elements during the different stages of stellar evolution, as well as of the processes  that create neutron stars, black holes, and
supernovae.
Nuclear Astrophysics

Nuclear Astrophysics

The unprecedented temperature and pressure produced in NIF targets should provide new insights into Big Bang nucleosynthesis, stellar neutron-capture and proton-capture reactions, and other aspects of nuclear astrophysics.
Nuclear Physics

Nuclear Physics

The intense pulse of neutrons that will accompany NIF ignition shots will provide insights into the properties of excited states in atomic nuclei, and determine their importance to some astrophysical processes.
Planetary Physics

Planetary Physics

By creating conditions similar to those in the cores of Jupiter and Saturn, NIF will provide new clues about the makeup and physical evolution of giant planets.
Plasma Physics

Plasma Physics

The interactions of NIF's laser beams with the plasmas in the target capsules will shed light on the behavior of these capricious "soups" of ions and free electrons.
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