Energy Atlas

How The World Is Powered
Power Stations and Infrastructure

National Ignition Facility

Also Known As NIF
United States

Citation Formats

General Reference

APA Style

BibTeX

The fusion research laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, which focuses 192 beams onto a target the size of a pencil eraser and is billed by the laboratory as the highest-energy laser in the world. On 5 December 2022 it ran the first controlled fusion experiment to yield more energy than the laser delivered, 3.15 megajoules out against 2.05 in. That is scientific breakeven against laser energy on target, not against the far larger electricity the facility draws, and NIF is a research instrument, not a power plant.

Facts
Facility Type
Fusion research facility 1
Location
Livermore, California, United States 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Uses Source

Sources
1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site
Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryNews, LLNL achieves fusion ignition
Quote, News, LLNL achieves fusion ignition
On Dec. 5, a team at LLNL's National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment
View the Source
1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site
Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryWhat is NIF, Big Science
Quote, What is NIF, Big Science
THE WORLD'S HIGHEST-ENERGY LASER
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.

View At A Past Year

The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.