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This pioneering nuclear-fusion lab is gearing up to break more records

Following the US National Ignition Facility’s breakthrough last year, Nature looks at what’s next.
  1. Jeff Tollefson
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Last month, the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) fired its lasers up to full power for the first time since December, when it achieved its decades-long goal of ‘ignition’ by producing more energy during a nuclear reaction than it consumed. The latest run didn’t come close to matching up: NIF achieved only 4% of the output it did late last year. But scientists didn’t expect it to.

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Nature 617, 13-14 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01424-z

Updates & Corrections

  • Clarification 26 April 2023: An earlier version of this story said that NIF would need to reinforce its concrete walls if energy yields approach 45 megajoules. The lab would need to reinforce the concrete walls in strategic locations.

  • Clarification 02 May 2023: An earlier version of this story said that a commercial laser-fusion power plant would need to generate 100 times more energy than was input. It would need to generate 100 times more energy from each target than was input, as well as use more efficient lasers.

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