Multimedia

Experience the sights and sounds of the National Ignition Facility and learn more about NIF & Photon Science in our Multimedia section. Available here are high-resolution images of the facility, narrated videos describing how NIF works and interactive 360° panoramas that provide a "virtual tour" of the NIF buildings and satellite facilities.

Bringing Star Power to Earth

Browse through an interactive book that tells the story of NIF through photos, starting with the history of laser development at Lawrence Livermore Lab and taking you through the construction of the facility. Click on any corner to turn the pages and see dazzling photos of a remarkable undertaking: creating a miniature star on Earth.

Mobile Apps

The free NIF Apps for Android, iPhone, and iPod touch feature NIF information, project status, photos, videos, and news in stylish, easy-to-use applications.

Photo Gallery

High-resolution versions of the images in the Photo Gallery are available by clicking on "Download high-resolution JPEG." Credit should be given to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory when these images or reproductions are published or posted online.

Video Gallery

In these videos you can learn how NIF crystals are grown, watch technicians in full-body suits assemble NIF's precision optics, enjoy a bird's-eye-view flyover of a NIF laser bay and take an "elevator ride" into the NIF target chamber. A three-minute video describes how the world's highest-energy laser works and outlines NIF's missions. (Flash player required).

Timeline

View photos of NIF Construction from the Department of Energy proposed support in 1993, ground breaking, and milestones way through completion and dedication in 2009.

Virtual Tour

There's no substitute for seeing the stadium-sized National Ignition Facility in person (see Visiting NIF), but taking a virtual tour is the next best thing. Interactive, 360° panoramas provide a look into the cleanrooms where NIF optics are assembled, the laser bays that carry NIF's 192 powerful laser beams from their origin to the target, and even inside the target chamber itself.