<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">We interrupt this conspiracy theory discussion for some intersting science news.</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">-Dave</div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener" href="https://www.llnl.gov/news/national-ignition-facility-achieves-fusion-ignition">https://www.llnl.gov/news/national-ignition-facility-achieves-fusion-ignition</a></span><br></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-right:-15px;margin-left:-15px"><div style="box-sizing:border-box;min-height:1px;padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;float:left"><h1 style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:30px;margin:10px 0px;font-weight:bold;line-height:32px;color:rgb(78, 71, 62);text-rendering:optimizelegibility"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">National Ignition Facility achieves fusion ignition</span></h1></div></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-right:-15px;margin-left:-15px"><div style="box-sizing:border-box;min-height:1px;padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;float:left"><div style="box-sizing:border-box"><section data-block-plugin-id="social_sharing_buttons_block" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block"><div style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;justify-content:center;align-items:center;margin:2em 0px"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.llnl.gov/news/national-ignition-facility-achieves-fusion-ignition&title=National%20Ignition%20Facility%20achieves%20fusion%20ignition" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 102, 204);margin:0px 4px;display:block;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><span width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:0px"><span href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--square.svg#facebook"></span></span></a><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=National%20Ignition%20Facility%20achieves%20fusion%20ignition+https://www.llnl.gov/news/national-ignition-facility-achieves-fusion-ignition" target="_blank" title="Share to Twitter" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 102, 204);margin:0px 4px;display:block;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><span width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:0px"><span href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--square.svg#twitter"></span></span></a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://www.llnl.gov/news/national-ignition-facility-achieves-fusion-ignition" target="_blank" title="Share to Linkedin" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 102, 204);margin:0px 4px;display:block;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><span width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:0px"><span href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--square.svg#linkedin"></span></span></a><a href="mailto:?subject=National%20Ignition%20Facility%20achieves%20fusion%20ignition&body=https://www.llnl.gov/news/national-ignition-facility-achieves-fusion-ignition" title="Share to Email" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 102, 204);margin:0px 4px;display:block;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><span width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:0px"><span href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--square.svg#email"></span></span></a><a rel="" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 102, 204);margin:0px 4px;display:block;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><span width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:0px"><span href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--square.svg#print"></span></span></a></div></section></div></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;min-height:1px;padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;float:left"><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:15px"><div style="box-sizing:border-box"><div style="box-sizing:border-box"><div style="box-sizing:border-box"><div style="box-sizing:border-box"></div></div></div></div></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-bottom:15px;margin:0px 0px 10px"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(89, 89, 89);font-family:"open sans", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">The<span> </span><a href="https://www.energy.gov/" title="DOE" data-extlink="" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 102, 204);text-decoration:underline">U.S. Department of Energy<span><span></span><span></span></span></a><span> </span>(DOE) and DOE’s<span> </span><a href="https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/national-nuclear-security-administration" title="NNSA" data-extlink="" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 102, 204);text-decoration:underline">National Nuclear Security Administration<span><span></span><span></span></span></a><span> </span>(NNSA) today announced the achievement of fusion ignition at<span> </span><a href="https://www.llnl.gov/" title="LLNL" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 102, 204);text-decoration:underline">Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory</a><span> </span>(LLNL) — a major scientific breakthrough decades in the making that will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power. On Dec. 5, a team at LLNL’s<span> </span><a href="https://lasers.llnl.gov/" title="NIF" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 102, 204);text-decoration:underline">National Ignition Facility</a><span> </span>(NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history to reach this milestone, also known as scientific energy breakeven, meaning it produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. This first-of-its-kind feat will provide unprecedented capability to support NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship Program and will provide invaluable insights into the prospects of clean fusion energy, which would be a game-changer for efforts to achieve President Biden’s goal of a net-zero carbon economy.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(89, 89, 89);font-family:"open sans", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);display:inline !important">“This is a landmark achievement for the researchers and staff at the National Ignition Facility who have dedicated their careers to seeing fusion ignition become a reality, and this milestone will undoubtedly spark even more discovery,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting our world-class scientists — like the team at NIF — whose work will help us solve humanity’s most complex and pressing problems, like providing clean power to combat climate change and maintaining a nuclear deterrent without nuclear testing.”</span><br></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(89, 89, 89);font-family:"open sans", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);display:inline !important"></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">“We have had a theoretical understanding of fusion for over a century, but the journey from knowing to doing can be long and arduous. Today’s milestone shows what we can do with perseverance,” said Dr. Arati Prabhakar, the President’s chief adviser for Science and Technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">“Monday, December 5, 2022, was a historic day in science thanks to the incredible people at Livermore Lab and the National Ignition Facility. In making this breakthrough, they have opened a new chapter in NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship Program,” NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby said. “I would like to thank the members of Congress who have supported the National Ignition Facility because their belief in the promise of visionary science has been critical for our mission. Our team from around the DOE national laboratories and our international partners have shown us the power of collaboration.”</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">“The pursuit of fusion ignition in the laboratory is one of the most significant scientific challenges ever tackled by humanity, and achieving it is a triumph of science, engineering, and most of all, people,” LLNL Director Dr. Kim Budil said. “Crossing this threshold is the vision that has driven 60 years of dedicated pursuit — a continual process of learning, building, expanding knowledge and capability, and then finding ways to overcome the new challenges that emerged. These are the problems that the U.S. national laboratories were created to solve.”</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">“This astonishing scientific advance puts us on the precipice of a future no longer reliant on fossil fuels but instead powered by new clean fusion energy,” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (NY) said. “I commend Lawrence Livermore National Labs and its partners in our nation’s Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program, including the University of Rochester’s Lab for Laser Energetics in New York, for achieving this breakthrough. Making this future clean energy world a reality will require our physicists, innovative workers and brightest minds at our DOE-funded institutions, including the Rochester Laser Lab, to double down on their cutting-edge work. That’s why I’m also proud to announce today that I’ve helped to secure the highest-ever authorization of over $624 million this year in the National Defense Authorization Act for the ICF program to build on this amazing breakthrough.”</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">“After more than a decade of scientific and technical innovation, I congratulate the team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the National Ignition Facility for their historic accomplishment,” said U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA). “This is an exciting step in fusion and everyone at Lawrence Livermore and NIF should be proud of this milestone achievement.”</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">“This is an historic, innovative achievement that builds on the contributions of generations of Livermore scientists. Today, our nation stands on their collective shoulders. We still have a long way to go, but this is a critical step and I commend the U.S. Department of Energy and all who contributed toward this promising breakthrough, which could help fuel a brighter clean energy future for the United States and humanity,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed (RI), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-s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n style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Fusion is the process by which two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy. In the 1960s, a group of pioneering scientists at LLNL hypothesized that lasers could be used to induce fusion in a laboratory setting. Led by physicist John Nuckolls, who later served as LLNL director from 1988 to 1994, this revolutionary idea became inertial confinement fusion, kicking off more than 60 years of research and development in lasers, optics, diagnostics, target fabrication, computer modeling and simulation and experimental design.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">To pursue this concept, LLNL built a series of increasingly powerful laser systems, leading to the creation of NIF, the world’s largest and most energetic laser system. NIF — located at LLNL in Livermore, California — is the size of a sports stadium and uses powerful laser beams to create temperatures and pressures like those in the cores of stars and giant planets, and inside exploding nuclear weapons.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">Achieving ignition was made possible by dedication from LLNL employees as well as countless collaborators at DOE’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and Nevada National Security Site; General Atomics; academic institutions, including the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California, Berkeley, and Princeton University; international partners, including the United Kingdom’s Atomic Weapons Establishment and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission; and stakeholders at DOE and NNSA and in Congress.</p><br><p></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(89, 89, 89);font-family:"open sans", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></span></span></span></span></p></div></div></div><br></div><div class="protonmail_signature_block" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">
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