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https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success/optics Optics | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Technicians repair damage sites on NIF final optics in the Optics Mitigation Facility so they can be returned to service. NIF’s high-quality and... national ignition facilityphoton scienceoptics https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/seven-wonders/deformable-mirror Deformable Mirror | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science A technician performs wavefront validation testing on a NIF deformable mirror. The deformable mirror is an adaptive optic that uses an array of actuators to... national ignition facilityphoton sciencedeformablemirror https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/visit-us Visit Us | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Directions Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is located off Vasco Road, near Interstate 580, in Livermore, California, about 45 miles east of San... visit us nationalignition facility photonscience https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success Keys to Our Success | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science People: The Eighth Wonder of NIF Teamwork among the various disciplines that contribute to experiments and directorate operations has been a major factor in... national ignition facilityphoton sciencekeyssuccess https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/journal-articles 2009 - Present Journal Articles | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science national ignition facilityjournal articlesphoton science2009present https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/how-make-star How to Make a Star | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Star-Formation Laboratory The dwarf galaxy NGC 4214 is ablaze with young stars and gas clouds. Located around 10 million light-years away in the constellation... national ignition facilityphoton sciencemakestar https://lasers.llnl.gov/news News | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science national ignition facilityphoton sciencenews https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/nifs-guide-how-lasers-work NIF's Guide to How Lasers Work | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science NIF's Guide to How Lasers Work national ignition facilityphoton sciencenifguidelasers https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/how-nif-works/injection-laser-system Injection Laser System | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science NIF’s laser beams are born in the Master Oscillator Room. A compact laser oscillator generates low-energy (a few nanojoules) laser pulses which are shaped in... national ignition facilitylaser systemphoton scienceinjection https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/discovery-science Discovery Science | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Unraveling the properties of fluid metallic hydrogen at the National Ignition Facility could help scientists unlock the mysteries of Jupiter’s formation and... science national ignitionfacility photondiscovery https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/who-works-at-nif/developing-workforce Developing the Workforce | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Training Future Science Stars LLNL researchers Richard Krause (left) of the Physical and Life Sciences Directorate and Arthur Pak, Daniel Casey, and Félicie... national ignition facilityphoton sciencedevelopingworkforce https://lasers.llnl.gov/for-users/2016-awarded-campaigns 2017 Awarded Campaigns | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Gas Giant Planets Jeanloz (UCB) Brown Dwarfs Falcone (UCB) Radiative Supernova Remnant Shocks Kuranz (Univ. Mich.) Turbulent RT in the Universe Kline (LANL)... awarded campaigns nationalignition facility photon2017science https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/photon-science/advanced-optics Advanced Optical Technologies | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Providing Critical Optical Components Multilayer dielectric diffraction gratings up to 1 meter in diameter are manufactured entirely at LLNL and optimized for... advanced optical technologiesnational ignition facilityphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/news/in-the-news In the News | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science In the News — 2026 May-June 2026 Three Paths to Fusion Power Several start-ups are trying to produce fusion reactors that are as useful as traditional power... national ignition facilityphoton sciencenews https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/who-partners-nif-ps/enduring-partnerships Enduring Partnerships | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science astrophysical collisionless shocks on NIF. Clockwise from Remington are Mario Manuel, General Atomics; Samuel Totorica, Stanford University graduate student;... national ignition facilityphoton scienceenduringpartnerships https://lasers.llnl.gov/for-users NIF Users | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Research Opportunities at the National Ignition Facility The National Ignition Facility provides the scientific community with an unprecedented capability for... national ignition facilityphoton sciencenifusers https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/student-spotlight Student Spotlight | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Alexus Warchock Summer Scholar Turns Virtual Internship into Unique Experience Raspberry Simpson Scholar Learns From NIF’s ‘Tasting Platter of HED Science’ Liz... national ignition facilitystudent spotlightphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/energy-security Exploring Energy Security | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Our planet faces a daunting challenge this century: closing the gap between projected energy demand and the supply of reliable, sustainable, affordable energy.... national ignition facilityexploring energyphoton sciencesecurity https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/who-works-at-nif/people-profiles People Profiles | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Featured Profile Jean-Michel Di Nicola Beauty, Peace, and Flow in Nordic Skiing Get the Story Dan Casey Jeremy Dixon Tayyab Suratwala John Fisher Justin... national ignition facilitypeople profilesphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success/diagnostics Diagnostics | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Responsible system engineer Gene Frieders inspects the VISAR (Velocity Interferometer System for Any Reflector), an ultrafast optical diagnostic that uses a... national ignition facilityphoton sciencediagnostics https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/summer-scholar-internship-program Summer Scholar Internship Program | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science national ignition facilityinternship programphoton sciencesummerscholar https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/advancing-weapon-physics Advancing Weapon Physics | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Sierra supercomputer (left), a 125 petaFLOPs (quadrillion operations per second) machine that is one of the fastest in the world. Data from NIF experiments... physics national ignitionfacility photon scienceadvancingweapon https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success/legacy-of-lasers/steps-to-nif Key Steps on the Path to NIF | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Surmounting Setbacks and Meeting Challenges A view between two banks of the ten beamlines in the laser bay of the Nova laser, NIF’s predecessor. The blue boxes... nif national ignitionfacility photon sciencekey stepspath https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success/control-systems Control Systems | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Conducting a Symphony of Shots Inside the Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS) Control Room, (from left) Rommel Lacuata, Brad Blackwell, David... national ignition facilitycontrol systemsphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/discovery-science/plasma-physics Plasma Physics | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Artist’s concept of astrophysical magnetic fields suffusing the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: BBC Almost all of the observable matter in the universe is in the... physics national ignitionfacility photon scienceplasma https://lasers.llnl.gov/news/llnl-physicist-finds-beauty-peace-flow-nordic-skiing LLNL Physicist Finds Beauty, Peace, and Flow in Nordic Skiing | National Ignition Facility & Photon... From dialing in ski wax and stride timing to shaping laser pulses at NIF, LLNL physicist Jean-Michel Di Nicola knows how Nordic skiing and inertial confinement... national ignition facilityfinds beautynordic skiingllnlphysicist https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/discovery-science/planetary-physics Planetary Physics | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Lawrence Livermore scientists have experimentally re-created the conditions that exist deep inside giant planets, such as Jupiter, Uranus and many of the... physics national ignitionfacility photon scienceplanetary https://lasers.llnl.gov/for-users/call-for-proposals/2016-ds-awards 2016 Awarded Campaigns | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Stellar Reaction Rates Shaughnessy(LLNL) Laser Driven Proton Beams Ma (LLNL) High Pressure, Compressed Carbon Wark (Univ. Oxford) Planar Direct Drive... awarded campaigns nationalignition facility photon2016science https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/how-nif-works/amplifiers Amplifiers | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science NIF amplifier upper plenums, known as “BigTs,” are complex epoxy manifolds that distribute both pulsed power to the flashlamps and cooling/purge gas to the... national ignition facilityphoton scienceamplifiers https://lasers.llnl.gov/lso-workshop-2026 LSO Workshop, May 19-21, 2026 | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science may 19 21national ignition facilityphoton sciencelsoworkshop https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/discovery-science/nuclear-astrophysics Nuclear Astrophysics | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Shot-time image from a NIF experiment simulating stellar nucleosynthesis fusion reactions. One of the great scientific challenges is understanding how elements... national ignition facilitynuclear astrophysicsphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/for-users/nif-user-group NIF User Group | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science The National Ignition Facility User Group provides an organized framework and independent vehicle for interaction between the scientists who use NIF for... national ignition facilityuser groupphoton sciencenif https://lasers.llnl.gov/programs/advanced-photon-technologies/apt-publications APT - Publications | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Summarizes the Advanced Photon Technologies (APT) program\'s publications, highlighting recent news articles and scientific papers focused on high-energy laser... national ignition facilityphoton scienceaptpublications https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/faqs FAQs | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science What is NIF? What is NIF used for? How much did NIF cost? How does NIF advance national security? How does NIF advance basic science? How does NIF advance... national ignition facilityphoton sciencefaqs https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/who-partners-nif-ps Who Partners with NIF&PS? | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Joe Kilkenny, left, NIF scientific diagnostic leader, and Terry Hilsabeck of General Atomics examine NIF’s groundbreaking SLOS (single-line-of-sight) framing... national ignition facilityphoton sciencepartnersnifps https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/national-security-applications National Security Applications | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science STAR (Sample Test and Recovery) array measures shock velocity and heating in up to 16 material samples irradiated with x rays. ignition facility photonnational securityapplicationsscience https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/expanding-photonics-frontiers Expanding Photonics Frontiers | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Advanced Radiographic Capability strike a gold target’s cone, generating relativistic (near light speed) electrons that interact with the gold atoms to produce... national ignition facilityphoton scienceexpandingphotonicsfrontiers https://lasers.llnl.gov/news/press-kit Press Kit | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science These fact sheets discuss various National Ignition Facility-related topics in a printer-friendly PDF format: national ignition facilitypress kitphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/nif-users/nif-user-group/executive-board Executive Board | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science gatu [at] psfc.mit.edu (Dr. Maria Gatu Johnson) (Chair) Massachusetts Institute of Technology danae.polsin [at] lle.rochester.edu (Dr. Danae Polsin)... national ignition facilityexecutive boardphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/for-users/conflict-of-interest Conflict of Interest Policy | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science All Conflicts of Interest between a NIF Technical Review Committee Member and the proposals being reviewed should be reported to the Committee Chair and the... national ignition facilityinterest policyphoton scienceconflict https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/seven-wonders/preamplifier-modules Preamplifier Modules | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Technicians assemble and align the components in a NIF preamplifier module. NIF’s master oscillator generates a very small, low-energy laser pulse (see... national ignition facilityphoton sciencepreamplifiermodules https://lasers.llnl.gov/multimedia/photo-gallery Photo Gallery | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science photo gallery nationalignition facility photonscience https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/nif-stockpile-stewardship NIF and Stockpile Stewardship | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science The National Ignition Facility, the world’s highest-energy laser system, is designed to create the extreme conditions—temperatures exceeding 100 million... national ignition facilitystockpile stewardshipphoton sciencenif https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/livermore-inertial-fusion-energy-references Livermore Inertial Fusion Energy References | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science The webpage provides a curated list of scholarly and technical references on Livermore Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE), covering topics such as laser... national ignition facilityinertial fusionphoton sciencelivermoreenergy https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/outreach Getting to Know NIF | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science NIF is a highlight of LLNL’s biannual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Day at the Lab, a daylong interactive event focused on science,... nif national ignitionfacility photon sciencegettingknow https://lasers.llnl.gov/multimedia/playing-cards Playing Cards | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science A photographic gallery showcasing custom-designed playing cards, each featuring unique images and explanations highlighting various advanced technologies,... national ignition facilityplaying cardsphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/multimedia/video-gallery Video Gallery | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science The Video Gallery page features an extensive collection of videos showcasing the National Ignition Facility’s innovations, milestones, and applications in... video gallery nationalignition facility photonscience https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/what-is-nif What Is the National Ignition Facility? | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the world’s largest and most precise laser system, designed for cutting-edge research in nuclear fusion, energy... national ignition facilityphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/online-resources External Resources | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science U.S. Fusion Energy A website with the latest fusion energy news, upcoming events, job opportunities, people behind the science, and background information.... external resources nationalignition facility photonscience https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/who-works-at-nif/management Management | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science national ignition facilityphoton sciencemanagement https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/careers Careers | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Current Openings Postdoc Program Internship Program Build Your Career Where You Can Make a Difference Whether you’re a student, recent graduate, or budding... national ignition facilityphoton sciencecareers https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/hed-science High Energy Density Science | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Time-integrated image of a laser-driven shock compression experiment to recreate planetary interior conditions and study the properties of superionic water.... high energy densityscience national ignitionfacility photon https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success/targets Targets | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science A cryogenically cooled target is inserted into the NIF Target Chamber by a cryogenic target positioner arm. The partially open protective shroud retracts a few... national ignition facilityphoton sciencetargets https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/developing-new-capabilities Developing New Capabilities | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science The immense gravity of a white dwarf star—the final stage of evolution for most stars in the universe—pulls matter from a companion star. NIF has developed the... national ignition facilitydeveloping newphoton sciencecapabilities https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/how-nif-works/beam-transport Beam Transport | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Each NIF laser bay is 122 meters (400 feet) long and contains 96 beamlines. This side view of Laser Bay 2 shows the four-high laser transport beamline... national ignition facilityphoton sciencebeamtransport https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/how-nif-works/final-optics Final Optics | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Final optics assemblies attached to the lower hemisphere of the NIF Target Chamber. The final optics assemblies (FOAs) are the last element of the main laser... national ignition facilityphoton sciencefinaloptics https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/seven-wonders/optical-switch Optical Switch | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Scott Fochs (left) and Mark Rhodes inspect a plasma electrode Pockels cell (PEPC) line replaceable unit. PEPCs are made from KDP crystals that will control the... national ignition facilityoptical switchphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success/nif-sets-power-energy-records NIF Sets Power and Energy Records | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Power conditioning operator Seth Robinson conducts tests in one of the four NIF capacitor bays. The capacitor bays house NIF’s power conditioning system.... national ignition facilityphoton sciencenifsetspower https://lasers.llnl.gov/nif-users/experimental-capabilities Experimental Capabilities | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science NIF is a premier international center for experimental science. The extreme temperatures and pressures created inside the NIF target chamber allow scientists... national ignition facilityphoton scienceexperimentalcapabilities https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success/legacy-of-lasers/laser-leadership 50 Years of Laser Leadership | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science A Series of Groundbreaking Lasers The Janus Laser as it looked in 1975. LLNL’s experimental laser programs were consolidated into a single division, known as Y... national ignition facility50 yearsphoton sciencelaserleadership https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/how-nif-works/power-conditioning-system Power Conditioning System | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Deployed throughout four 1,150-square-meter (12,500-square-foot) capacitor bays, the power conditioning system stores approximately 400 megajoules (million... national ignition facilitypower conditioningphoton sciencesystem https://lasers.llnl.gov/nif-users/2024-awarded-campaigns 2024 Awarded Campaigns | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Oxygen opacities in stellar interiors Dan Mayes Univ. of Texas at Austin Metallic hydrogen in planetary interiors Raymond Jeanloz, UC Berkeley Carbon BC8 via... awarded campaigns nationalignition facility photon2024science https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success/legacy-of-lasers/building-nif Building NIF | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Constructing the World's Largest Laser NIF construction kicked off on May 29, 1997, when then-Lab Director Bruce Tarter, Energy Secretary Federico Peña, and... nif national ignitionfacility photon sciencebuilding https://lasers.llnl.gov/science Science | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science The National Ignition Facility conducts experiments to simulate the conditions of an exploding nuclear weapon, supporting the science-based Stockpile... science national ignitionfacility photon https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/how-nif-works/target-chamber Target Chamber | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Target and diagnostic positioners deployed at the center of the NIF Target Chamber. The national ignition facilityphoton sciencetargetchamber https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/summer-scholar-internship-program/seminars Seminars | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Students enrolled in our program have the opportunity to attend a number of seminars during their internship. They cover a wide variety of subjects and are... national ignition facilityphoton scienceseminars https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/how-nif-works How NIF Works | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science What happens when 192 of the world’s highest-energy lasers converge on a target the size of a peppercorn filled with hydrogen atoms? Answer: the same thing... national ignition facilityphoton sciencenifworks https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/achieving-fusion-ignition Achieving Fusion Ignition | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science facility photon sciencefusion ignitionachievingnational https://lasers.llnl.gov/programs-nif-photon-science Programs for NIF & Photon Science | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science science national ignitionprogramsnifphotonfacility https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/keys-to-success/facility-operations Facility Operations | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science Keeping the Lasers Firing Target Area operators aboard the Target Chamber lift prepare for a regular Facility Maintenance and Reconfiguration period. It takes... facility operationsnational ignitionphoton science https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/expanding-photonics-frontiers/advanced-photon-technologies Advanced Photon Technologies | National Ignition Facility & Photon Science The High-Repetition-Rate Advanced Petawatt Laser System (HAPLS)—the world’s most advanced and highest average power diode-pumped petawatt laser system—was... national ignition facilityadvanced photontechnologiesscience