Ignition and the Path Toward an Inertial Fusion Energy Future

False-color illustration of laser beams irradiating a NIF hohlraum shaped like a rugby ball and holding an aluminum fuel capsule, one of several new target designs being explored on the NIF system. The laser beams enter the hohlraum through laser entrance holes and strike the inside of the hohlraum to generate x rays. The laser beams are arranged in two cones—an inner cone that is pointed toward the waist of the hohlraum and an outer cone that is pointed near the ends. Ignition is achieved when a self-sustaining fusion reaction produces more energy than the energy absorbed by the target capsule. Credit: Jacob Long, LLNL

Presented: (ET)
Presented by: Tammy Ma, Ph.D.

In December 2022, a team at Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history to reach scientific energy breakeven, producing more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. In that experiment, where 2.05 MJ of laser energy was delivered to the target, a fusion energy output of 3.15 MJ was achieved, a gain of 1.5. Since then, ignition has been repeated several times more, with even higher gains achieved. This talk will review the NIF – the world’s largest, most energetic laser, the latest experimental results, the scientific and technological advancements that made this breakthrough possible, and the implications for future research, particularly in how the achievement of ignition now lays the groundwork to explore laser inertial fusion as a path for clean energy and energy security.

Bulletized list of topics:
• Fusion
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• National Ignition Facility
• Ignition
• Energy
• Pilot plant