NIF: PATH TO IGNITION IN THE LABORATORY

Conference · Fri Jan 20 04:00:00 EST 2006

OSTI ID:877769

Moses, E; Bonanno, G; Haynam, C; Kauffman, B; MacGowan, B; Jr, R P; Sawicki, R; Van Wonterghem, B

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192 beam laser facility presently under construction at LLNL. When completed NIF will be a 1.8 MJ, 500 TW ultraviolet laser system. Its missions are to obtain fusion ignition and to perform high energy density experiments in support of the US nuclear weapons stockpile. Four of the NIF beams have been commissioned to demonstrate laser performance and to commission the target area including target and beam alignment and laser timing. During this time, NIF demonstrated on a single beam basis that it will meet its performance goals and demonstrated its precision and flexibility for pulse shaping, pointing, timing and beam conditioning. It also performed four important experimental campaigns for Inertial Confinement Fusion and High Energy Density Science. Presently, the project is installing production hardware to complete the project in 2009 with the goal to begin ignition experiments in 2010. An integrated plan has been developed including the NIF operations, user equipment such as diagnostics and cryogenic target capability, and experiments and calculations to meet this goal. This talk will provide NIF status, the plan to complete NIF, and the path to ignition.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 877769
• Report Number(s): UCRL-CONF-218320
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
ACCURACY
ALIGNMENT
CONSTRUCTION
CRYOGENICS
ENERGY DENSITY
FLEXIBILITY
IGNITION
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
LASERS
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
PERFORMANCE
PRODUCTION
TARGETS
US NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY