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National Ignition Facility

by zarnigar | 3 years, 2 month(s) ago

Tags: facility, ignition, National

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The National Ignition Facility, or NIF, is a laser-based inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research device located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, United States (a lab funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy). NIF uses powerful lasers to heat and compress a small amount of hydrogen fuel to the point where nuclear fusion reactions take place. NIF is the largest and most energetic ICF device built to date, and the first that is expected to reach the long-sought goal of "ignition," in which the fusion reactions become self-sustaining. The construction of the National Ignition Facility was certified complete on March 31, 2009 by the U.S. Dept. of Energy. Construction started in 1997 but was fraught with problems and ran into a series of delays that greatly slowed progress into the early 2000s. Progress since then has been much smoother, but compared to initial estimates, NIF is five years behind schedule and almost four times more expensive than budgeted. By August 2007, 96 of the lasers (out of a planned 192) had been completed and commissioned, with a further 48 (for a total of 144) nearing completion. As of February 2009, construction was unofficially completed.The first target experiments with all 192 lasers are expected in May 2009, and a dedication ceremony is scheduled for May 29.Ignition (more energy coming out than is put in) is expected by 2010.
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