163 in this dataset
3 developers pursuing it
103 organisations in US
What these terms mean
Every classification on this page, defined. These are controlled-vocabulary terms, so the same word means the same thing on every profile.
- National laboratory
- A state-funded laboratory operating at national scale, usually running facilities no single university could support.
- Operator
- Runs a facility, which may have been built by someone else.
- Fusion
- Organizations pursuing energy from nuclear fusion, and their dedicated supply chain.
- Laser ICF, indirect drive › › Laser ICF, indirect drive
- Laser energy converted to X-rays in a hohlraum, which drives the capsule. The NIF configuration.
- Deuterium–tritium
- Lowest ignition threshold; 80% of energy in 14.1 MeV neutrons. The reference fuel for every near-term net-gain claim.
In Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s own words
Quoted from the organisation’s own site as we archived it. Their description of themselves, not ours, and not a claim this site has checked.
LLNL’s National Ignition Facility is the only lab on Earth to achieve fusion ignition. Since making history in 2022, each repeat deepens our understanding of high energy density and fusion science. Explore how NIF brings star power to Earth in service of U.S. national security.
The Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration have approved a path forward for a project that will increase the laser energy available to NIF at LLNL. The Enhanced Yield Capability project will enable more pertinent assessments and modernization efforts for the nation’s nuclear stockpile.
Where Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory sits
Composed from records in this dataset, not from outside research. Every figure below is counted from what the site holds, so it moves when the data does.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is one of 3 organisations in this dataset pursuing laser icf, indirect drive.
It is one of 103 we hold in US.
It operates 1 device in this dataset, none of which carries recorded performance figures.
Related organisations
Others pursuing the same approach, then others in the same country.
Measured results
Results recorded on this operator’s devices. Design parameters — bore, field, dimensions — are excluded: a machine’s size is not something it achieved. 1 design parameter are held on the device pages.
| Device | Metric | Value | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Ignition Facility | Target gain (Q_target)per Laser energy delivered to the target, including hohlraum losses | 1.5 | achieved2022-12-05 | Achievement of Target Gain Larger than Unity in an Inertial Fusion Experiment |
| National Ignition Facility | Fusion energy yield | 3.1 MJ | achieved2022-12-05 | Achievement of Target Gain Larger than Unity in an Inertial Fusion Experiment |
| National Ignition Facility | Target gain (Q_target)per Laser energy delivered to the target, including hohlraum losses | 4.13 | claimed2025-04-07 | Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria |
| National Ignition Facility | Wall-plug gainper Total facility grid energy drawn for the shot | 0.0077 | claimed2022-12-05 | Power Conditioning System |
Devices operated 1
Pursuing the same technology
Others in this dataset working on Laser ICF, indirect drive.
Sources
A source marked operator is the subject’s own publication. That is legitimate, and it is not independent confirmation. Methodology.