The U.S. national laboratory that achieved fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility in December 2022 — a milestone seven decades in the making.
ReviewedLast reviewed: 9 Aug 2026·Category: Organizations & Policy
Overview
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), located in Livermore, California, is a DOE national laboratory managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC. LLNL has been a centre of fusion research since the 1950s, operating both magnetic and inertial confinement fusion programmes. The laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved fusion ignition on December 5, 2022.[1]
Dual mission: LLNL’s fusion programme has always served two purposes: nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship (understanding thermonuclear physics without underground testing) and energy research. NIF was primarily justified as a stockpile stewardship facility, with energy applications as a secondary benefit. The ignition achievement serves both missions.
Facilities
NIF: The world’s most energetic laser, delivering 2.05 MJ of ultraviolet light from 192 beams to a millimetre-scale target. OMEGA EP: A petawatt laser for advanced ICF experiments. LLNL also operated magnetic confinement experiments historically, including the mirror programme (2XIIB, TMX, MFTF-B) and the spheromak programme (SSPX).[2]
Ignition Legacy
The December 2022 ignition shot produced 3.15 MJ of fusion energy from 2.05 MJ of laser energy, achieving a target gain of 1.54. Subsequent shots have exceeded 5 MJ, demonstrating reproducibility and improved performance.[3]
Sources
Abu-Shawareb, H. et al. "Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment." Physical Review Letters, 129, 075001, 2022.