United States · Inertial confinement (laser)
National Ignition Facility
Operated by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory · First operation 2009
Status: Operational
The world's largest and most energetic laser, achieving the first laboratory fusion ignition in December 2022.
NIF uses 192 high-powered laser beams to compress a deuterium-tritium fuel pellet to densities and temperatures exceeding those at the center of the Sun. In December 2022 it became the first device to achieve fusion ignition — producing more energy from the reaction than was deposited by the lasers (Q > 1).
Key specifications
- Lasers
- 192 beams
- Laser energy
- 2.05 MJ delivered
- Fusion yield (Dec 2022)
- 3.15 MJ
- Target
- DT pellet, hohlraum
Milestones
2009
Construction completed; first integrated experiments
Dec 5, 2022
First laboratory fusion ignition — Q > 1
Jul 2023
3.88 MJ yield, exceeding ignition threshold again
2024
Multiple repeat shots above ignition