NIF & Photon Science News
Spotlight on:
Papers & Presentations
3D-Printed Glass Enhances Optical Design Flexibility
LLNL researchers have used multi-material 3D printing to create tailored gradient refractive index glass optics that could make novel optics for future laser and optical systems, military specialized eyewear, and virtual reality goggles. Read more...
Texas A&M Honors LLNL Physicist
Texas A&M University honored LLNL physicist Kelli Humbird with its 2020-21 Young Former Student award for her work combining machine learning with ICF research. Read more...
Measuring Extreme Temperatures
This target, hohlraum, and VISAR diagnostic cone go from 400 degrees below zero Fahrenheit to about 4 million °F in a few billionths of a second. Learn why in our photo gallery. Read more...
Approaching “Burning Plasma”
Science magazine reports on how new target designs, laser pulse shapes, and better diagnostics are bringing NIF researchers closer to a milestone known as “burning plasma” (external link). Read more...
December 3, 2020
Video: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Laser
Our video explores how lasers have dramatically impacted our lives and how researchers at LLNL and NIF use them to push the boundaries of science and technology. Read more...
Newest ‘Ruby’ Supercomputer Helps NIF, NNSA, and COVID-19 Research
LLNL’s newest high performance computing cluster will support NIF’s inertial confinement fusion experiments, perform functions for the NNSA, and boost the Lab’s COVID-19 research. Read more...
November 18, 2020
General Atomics and NIF: Partners on a Mission
Scientists and engineers from NIF and General Atomics work side-by-side helping to keep the nation secure and to expand the frontiers of science. Read more...
Summer Internship Program Goes Virtual
NIF’s Summer Scholar Program went virtual this year thanks to the hard work, quick thinking, and inventiveness of key leaders. Read more...
Virtual Internship Turns into Unique Experience
Alexus Warchock was initially disappointed when she learned the NIF & Photon Science Summer Scholar Program would be virtual. But her successful internship turned into a part-time job. Read more...
November 12, 2020
The Explosive, Mysterious Physics of Supernovas
A Science News magazine cover story explores how NIF&PS physicist Hye-Sook Park and a team of researchers are using giant lasers to reveal the details of massive stellar explosions. Read more...
October 21, 2020
NIF Physicist Among Four LLNL Scientists Named APS Fellows
NIF’s Laurent Divol was one of four LLNL scientists selected as a 2020 American Physical Society fellow. Read more...
Two NIF Scientists Earn Early and Mid-Career Awards
LLNL’s sixth annual Early and Mid-Career Recognition (EMCR) Program included two scientists who have made a significant impact at NIF.
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NIF Spotlight: Computer Scientist Jarom Nelson
Computer scientist Jarom Nelson has been working on the development and release of Virtual Beamline++ (VBL++). He also has his creative outlets: musical theater and choral singing. Read more...
Lab has ties to Nobel Prize winner Andrea Ghez
Andrea Ghez, co-winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in physics, has close ties to LLNL, including her work using the LLNL Keck Laser Guide Star to chart the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. Read more...
October 1, 2020
Machine Learning Speeds Up and Enhances Physics Calculations
Researchers have found a novel way to incorporate machine learning and neural networks to significantly speed up ICF physics simulations. Read more...
The Internship That Launched a Machine-Learning Target Revolution
Kelli Humbird came to LLNL as a student intern and became a teacher of new data science techniques. Read more...
NIF’s Scientific Achievements Build on First Science Experiment A Millennium Ago
In a seminar for NIF, visiting Professor Mohammad Karim traced the history of science that led to NIF’s ongoing advancements in optics and photonics. Read more...
September 16, 2020
Félicie Albert Elected NAS Kavli Fellow
Félicie Albert, staff scientist at NIF & Photon Science and the Joint High Energy Density Sciences organization, has been elected a Kavli Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Read more...
September 3, 2020
World’s Largest Computer Chip Opens New AI Doors for NIF
The world’s largest computer chip will kick open new experimental doors for the world’s largest and most energetic laser system.
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August 27, 2020
New Data Shows 3D Asymmetries in ICF Implosions
Data correlating two factors that lead to implosion asymmetries have brought LLNL scientists a step closer to understanding the gap between simulations and performance of ICF experiments at NIF. Read more...
New Research on Atom-Changing Pressures
HED scientists from LLNL helped launch the Center for Matter at Atomic Pressures to better understand the physical and astrophysical properties of matter under pressures strong enough to change the structure of individual atoms. Read more...
Celebrating a Successful HED Science Career
When NIF’s Warren Hsing rode off into retirement, friends and colleagues came together virtually to celebrate his successful career as an international leader of the high energy density science community.
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August 12, 2020
Icarus Camera Soars Close to NIF’s Sun—and Thrives!
Unlike its ill-fated namesake from Greek mythology, the Icarus camera system is flying high at NIF and other research laboratories, with no end to its usefulness in sight. Read more...
NIF’s Richard Leach Elected Senior Member of SPIE
LLNL research engineer Richard Leach, whose work includes automating the alignment of NIF’s lasers, was recently elected a senior member of SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics. Read more...
The Shape of Things to Come
Science & Technology Review takes a look at how scientists turned their attention to changing hohlraum shapes to further improve target performance. Read more...
August 5, 2020
EOS Measurements Shed Light on Stellar Evolution
As reported in Nature, the laser power of NIF helped researchers at LLNL and an international team of collaborators develop an experimental capability for measuring basic properties of matter at the highest pressures achieved in a controlled laboratory experiment. Read more...
Scientists Honored for Plasma Research at NIF
The American Physical Society honored three LLNL scientists with the 2020 John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research, recognizing nearly a decade of work in laboratory astrophysics at NIF and other premier high energy laser facilities. Read more...
