America Builds World's Most Powerful Laser

[no waiii]

the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the culmination of more than 10 years of work, at a cost of nearly £2.5bn.

Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are hoping a series of experiments will allow it eventually to mimic the heat and pressure found at the heart of the sun.

NIF consists of 192 separate laser beams, each of which is programmed to travel 1,000ft in one-thousandth of a second to converge simultaneously on a target the size of a pencil eraser.

The laser's power will be gradually turned up in a series of experiments over the next year, culminating at a power level in 2010 to achieve what scientists call "fusion ignition".



The power of laser


The tests will produce enough heat and pressure to fuse hydrogen atoms in a tiny cylindrical "target" so that more energy is released than is generated by the laser beams themselves.

It is also what scientists would one day like to achieve on a continuing basis to produce a clean, safe form of energy by fusing atoms instead of splitting them apart.

While the NIF laser is expected to be used for a wide range of high-energy and high-density physics experiments, its primary purpose is to help Government physicists ensure the reliability of the nation's nuclear weapons as they become older.

The laser "will be a cornerstone" of the weapons stewardship programme," said Thomas D'Agostino, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semi-independent arm of the Energy Department which oversees nuclear weapons programmes.

The NIF laser was proposed in the early 1990s, when the project's cost was put at just under £500m.

Building began in 1997 but the project's early years were marked by setbacks, including trouble in keeping its critical optics perfectly clean and free of dust.

Edward Moses, director of the NIF project, who has led its development since 1999, said he is ever more confident that NIF will achieve "fusion ignition".

"It's now operational," Mr Moses said. "The lasers are there. The targets are there, and we've proven the optics. But now the proof is in the shooting. We've got to put all this together and shoot the targets. It's the first time anyone has ever done experiments at this scale."

[Fez]

The main focus of these lasers are to destroy ICBMs and generally protect a country from nuclear attack.

It'll be a while before we get laser pistols or a real shoopdawoop.

[Laggings]

Now that we have the most powerful laser, we will take your country under our control! Mwahahaha!

But anyways, this is actually pretty cool.

[Jahova]

Wow, nice!

[Marucho]

Were all doomed

[Twist]

the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the culmination of more than 10 years of work, at a cost of nearly £2.5bn.

Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are hoping a series of experiments will allow it eventually to mimic the heat and pressure found at the heart of the sun.

NIF consists of 192 separate laser beams, each of which is programmed to travel 1,000ft in one-thousandth of a second to converge simultaneously on a target the size of a pencil eraser.

The laser's power will be gradually turned up in a series of experiments over the next year, culminating at a power level in 2010 to achieve what scientists call "fusion ignition".



The power of laser


The tests will produce enough heat and pressure to fuse hydrogen atoms in a tiny cylindrical "target" so that more energy is released than is generated by the laser beams themselves.

It is also what scientists would one day like to achieve on a continuing basis to produce a clean, safe form of energy by fusing atoms instead of splitting them apart.

While the NIF laser is expected to be used for a wide range of high-energy and high-density physics experiments, its primary purpose is to help Government physicists ensure the reliability of the nation's nuclear weapons as they become older.

The laser "will be a cornerstone" of the weapons stewardship programme," said Thomas D'Agostino, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semi-independent arm of the Energy Department which oversees nuclear weapons programmes.

The NIF laser was proposed in the early 1990s, when the project's cost was put at just under £500m.

Building began in 1997 but the project's early years were marked by setbacks, including trouble in keeping its critical optics perfectly clean and free of dust.

Edward Moses, director of the NIF project, who has led its development since 1999, said he is ever more confident that NIF will achieve "fusion ignition".

"It's now operational," Mr Moses said. "The lasers are there. The targets are there, and we've proven the optics. But now the proof is in the shooting. We've got to put all this together and shoot the targets. It's the first time anyone has ever done experiments at this scale."

I wanna try I wanna try.

[AlexOC]

Are they all going to be beamed onto the ground?

[Laggings]

That would suck to look at that laser !

[Jord]

The main focus of these lasers are to destroy ICBMs and generally protect a country from nuclear attack.

It'll be a while before we get laser pistols or a real shoopdawoop.

haha i lold

[GommeInc]

Wooo, one day America will have a particle uplink cannon just like the one in Command and Conquer Generals

Does anyone else notice how odd it is when people say they are developing a product or item, then when an interview comes along they say it is all ready... Just do the experiment, stop gawping at the thing :/