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Title: The National Ignition Facility: The Path to a Carbon-Free Energy Future

Conference ·

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's largest and most energetic laser system, is now operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NIF will enable exploration of scientific problems in national strategic security, basic science and fusion energy. One of the early NIF goals centers on achieving laboratory-scale thermonuclear ignition and energy gain, demonstrating the feasibility of laser fusion as a viable source of clean, carbon-free energy. This talk will discuss the precision technology and engineering challenges of building the NIF and those we must overcome to make fusion energy a commercial reality.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
1022136
Report Number(s):
LLNL-PROC-474593; TRN: US1104157
Resource Relation:
Journal Volume: 370; Journal Issue: 1973; Conference: Presented at: The Royal Society Conference, London, United Kingdom, Mar 19 - Mar 21, 2011
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (36)

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The National Ignition Facility journal December 2004
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A Sustainable Nuclear Fuel Cycle Based on Laser Inertial Fusion Energy journal August 2009
NIF optical materials and fabrication technologies: an overview
  • Campbell, John H.; Hawley-Fedder, Ruth A.; Stolz, Christopher J.
  • Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.538471
conference May 2004
High-Power Solid-State Lasers: a Laser Glass Perspective: High-Power Solid-State Lasers: a Laser Glass Perspective journal February 2011
Nd-doped phosphate glasses for high-energy/high-peak-power lasers journal March 2000
Continuous melting of phosphate laser glasses journal March 2000
Optical loss and Nd3+ non-radiative relaxation by Cu, Fe and several rare earth impurities in phosphate laser glasses journal March 2000
Surface tensile layer generation during thermal annealing of phosphate glass journal March 2000
Effects of OH content, water vapor pressure, and temperature on sub-critical crack growth in phosphate glass journal March 2000
Polishing slurry induced surface haze on phosphate laser glasses journal August 2005
NIF Pockels cell and frequency conversion crystals conference May 2004
NIF final optics system: frequency conversion and beam conditioning
  • Wegner, Paul J.; Auerbach, Jerome M.; Biesiada, Jr., Thomas A.
  • Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.538481
conference May 2004
Engineering meter-scale laser resistant coatings for the near IR conference September 2005
Specification of optical components using the power spectral density function
  • Lawson, Janice K.; Wolfe, C. Robert; Manes, Kenneth R.
  • SPIE's 1995 International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.218430
conference September 1995
Laser damage precursors in fused silica
  • Miller, P. E.; Suratwala, T. I.; Bude, J. D.
  • Laser Damage Symposium XLI: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.836986
conference December 2009
Effect of rogue particles on the sub-surface damage of fused silica during grinding/polishing journal April 2008
Sub-surface mechanical damage distributions during grinding of fused silica journal December 2006
Developing magnetorheological finishing (MRF) technology for the manufacture of large-aperture optics in megajoule class laser systems conference November 2010
MRF applications: measurement of process-dependent subsurface damage in optical materials using the MRF wedge technique
  • Menapace, Joseph A.; Davis, Pete J.; Steele, William A.
  • Boulder Damage Symposium XXXVII: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.638839
conference December 2005
Magnetorheological finishing (MRF) of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals: nonaqueous fluids development, optical finish, and laser damage performance at 1064 nm and 532 nm
  • Menapace, J. A.; Ehrmann, P. R.; Bickel, R. C.
  • Laser Damage Symposium XLI: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.836913
conference December 2009
Results of sub-nanosecond laser-conditioning of KD 2 PO 4 crystals
  • Adams, J. J.; Jarboe, J. A.; Carr, C. W.
  • Boulder Damage Symposium XXXVIII: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.696086
conference October 2006
Analysis of output surface damage resulting from single 351 nm, 3 ns pulses on sub-nanosecond laser conditioned KD 2 PO 4 crystals
  • Jarboe, J. A.; Adams, J. J.; Hackel, R. P.
  • Boulder Damage Symposium XXXIX: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.752957
conference October 2007
Laser intensification by spherical inclusions embedded within multilayer coatings journal January 2006
The effect of HF/NH4F etching on the morphology of surface fractures on fused silica journal May 2009
An improved method of mitigating laser-induced surface damage growth in fused silica using a rastered pulsed CO 2 laser
  • Bass, Isaac L.; Guss, Gabriel M.; Nostrand, Michael J.
  • Laser Damage Symposium XLII: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.867862
conference November 2010
Results of applying a non-evaporative mitigation technique to laser-initiated surface damage on fused-silica
  • Adams, J. J.; Bolourchi, M.; Bude, J. D.
  • Laser Damage Symposium XLII: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers https://doi.org/10.1117/12.867652
conference November 2010
Surface damage growth mitigation on KDP/DKDP optics using single-crystal diamond micro-machining ball end mill contouring
  • Geraghty, Paul; Carr, W.; Draggoo, V.
  • Boulder Damage Symposium XXXVIII: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.696076
conference October 2006
Process for rapid detection of fratricidal defects on optics using linescan phase-differential imaging
  • Ravizza, Frank L.; Nostrand, Michael C.; Kegelmeyer, Laura M.
  • Laser Damage Symposium XLI: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.836990
conference December 2009
Searching for optimal mitigation geometries for laser-resistant multilayer high-reflector coatings journal January 2011
Fabrication of three-dimensional autocloned photonic crystal on sapphire substrate journal September 2010
The HMDS coating flaw removal tool
  • Monticelli, M. V.; Nostrand, M. C.; Mehta, N.
  • Boulder Damage Symposium XL Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.804458
conference December 2008
Final optics damage inspection (FODI) for the National Ignition Facility
  • Conder, Alan; Alger, Terry; Azevedo, Stephen
  • Boulder Damage Symposium XXXIX: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.759131
conference October 2007
A programmable beam shaping system for tailoring the profile of high fluence laser beams
  • Heebner, John; Borden, Michael; Miller, Phil
  • Laser Damage Symposium XLII: Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, SPIE Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1117/12.867728
conference November 2010
Atomic vapor laser isotope separation journal July 1988

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42 ENGINEERING
ACCURACY
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LASERS
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY
OPTICS
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US NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY