Early Light

During the NIF Early Light (NEL) campaign, on July 17, 2003, the National Ignition Facility produced 10.4 kilojoules (kJ) of 350-nanometer ultraviolet laser light (known as 3-omega, or 3ω) in a single laser beamline, setting a world record for laser performance. The facility also set records by producing 11.4 kJ of green (2ω) light and 26 kJ of infrared (1ω) light. With the NEL campaign, NIF demonstrated laser beam performance that meets its primary criteria for beam energy, beam output, uniformity, beam-to-beam timing and delivery of shaped pulses required for ignition. In addition, the NIF laser demonstrated ultraviolet laser energy equivalent to two million joules (MJ) in 192 beams. This "full NIF equivalent" performance exceeded the design requirement of 1.8 MJ specified for NIF.

NIF researchers focused the light into a special diagnostic system (see Precision Diagnostic System) designed to provide precise measurements of laser beam quality and performance at these different frequencies.

Frequency	Single beam performance	Equivalent 192-beam performance
1ω (infared)	21 kJ	4.0 MJ
2ω (green)	11.4 kJ	2.2 MJ
3ω (ultraviolet)	10.4 kJ	2.0 MJ*

*Exceeds primary criteria value of 1.8 Mj

These early experiments met or exceeded all current or required milestones in the NIF baseline, demonstrating on a per-beam basis the critical performance criteria of NIF. The accomplishments showed that NIF was ready to fulfill its three primary missions: maintaining the viability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile (see Stockpile Stewardship), laying the groundwork for the development of inertial confinement fusion as a source of limitless energy (see Inertial Fusion Energy), and creating the intense temperatures and pressures that will enable scientists to explore some of the most extreme conditions in the universe, such as the hot, dense plasmas found in stars (see Science at the Extremes).

In achieving these milestones, the NIF team met or exceeded a number of critical performance criteria including:

Demonstration of 0.2- to 25-nanosecond temporally shaped pulses
Less than five hours between shots (providing the capability for more than 700 laser shots per year)
Better-than-required beam uniformity
Beam relative timing to six picoseconds (trillions of a second)

Executing the NEL plan positioned NIF for successful deployment when the facilty was completed in 2009. Beginning in the fall of 2007, during the Eos campaign (for the Greek goddess of dawn), NIF project personnel used additional laser beams to further analyze NIF's performance in the target chamber and began basic and applied science experiments later in 2008.

More Information

"Simulations of early experiments show laser project is on track," Newsline, Sept. 21, 2007 (PDF)

"Experiments and multiscale simulations of laser propagation through ignition-scale plasmas," Nature Physics, Sept. 2, 2007 (subscription required)