The National Ignition Campaign: status and progress

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been operational since March 2009 and a variety of experiments have been completed and many more are planned in support of NIF's mission areas: national security, fundamental science, and fusion energy. NIF capabilities and infrastructure are in place to support all of its missions with nearly 60 x-ray, optical and nuclear diagnostic systems and the ability to shoot cryogenic targets and DT layered capsules. The NIF has also been qualified for the use of tritium and other special materials as well as to perform high-yield experiments and classified experiments. Implosions with record indirect-drive neutron yield of 7.5 × 1014 neutrons have been achieved. NIF, a Nd : Glass laser facility, is routinely operating at 1.6 MJ of ultraviolet (3ω) light on target with very high reliability. It recently reached its design goal of 1.8 MJ and 500 TW of 3ω light on target, and has performed target experiments with 1.9 MJ at peak powers of 410 TW. The National Ignition Campaign (NIC), an international effort with the goal of demonstrating thermonuclear burn in the laboratory, is making steady progress towards achieving ignition. Other experiments have been completed in support of high-energy science, materials equation of state, and materials strength. In all cases, records of extreme temperatures and pressures, highest neutron yield and highest energy densities have been achieved. This paper describes the unprecedented experimental capabilities of the NIF and the results achieved so far on the path towards ignition.