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Nuclear deterrence
Cryogenic micro-calorimetry offers a novel material-dating method for nuclear forensics and safeguards
The moment nuclear material is produced, processed or purified, it sets off a hidden countdown, marked by the half-life of its radioactive atoms as they begin to decay. For scientists tracking the origins of these substances, decoding this natural clock is crucial for verifying material histories in support of global security efforts. In a new study published in the…
LLNL’s Robert Maxwell selected as 2025 AAAS Fellow
Robert S. Maxwell, Strategic Deterrence (SD) program director for Materials and Manufacturing Transformation, was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of nearly three decades of leadership and significant contributions in materials chemistry related to national security. “I am incredibly honored and humbled by…
Big Ideas Lab podcast explores energetic materials and the science behind explosive performance
In less than a millionth of a second, a high explosive can release its energy, generating pressures and temperatures that push materials to their limits. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), scientists in the Energetic Materials Center (EMC) study these extreme conditions using experiments, computation and specialized facilities. The latest episode of the Big…
LLNL optics expert Wren Carr named SPIE Fellow
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Wren Carr was recently selected as a Fellow of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. He is the science and technology group leader for National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser-induced damage and mitigation science. “I feel honored to be recognized by SPIE for my leadership, mentorship and technical…
LLNL honors 36 as 2026 Distinguished Members of Technical Staff
Thirty-six Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have been named Distinguished Members of Technical Staff (DMTS) in recognition of their extraordinary scientific and technical contributions, as affirmed by their professional peers and the broader scientific community. As distinguished citizens of the Laboratory and their respective fields, DMTS honorees…
Big Ideas Lab podcast zooms in on tiny targets
At the end of an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF), the target, measuring just two centimeters, is mostly obliterated. The gold plating, the high-density carbon and months of meticulous assembly vanish in an instant. That’s the point. In that flash, the target becomes what NIF is built…
Advanced Radiographic Capability achievements featured in Physics of Plasmas
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the hottest place on earth for the briefest of moments during an experiment. Now, it can be one of the brightest places thanks to the Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC), NIF’s laser-within-the-laser. How this is possible and how it’s measured is detailed in the cover paper of the December 2025…
Mission challenge ideas day turns bold concepts into space security capabilities
Exploring new frontiers of space requires innovative approaches to anticipate and identify paths for integrating space domain awareness capabilities. To deliver solutions for these emergent challenges, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Global Security Directorate recently hosted a “Space LDRD Ideas Day.” Researchers from a broad range of disciplines attended…
Americium, curium and californium — oh my! Crystallizing the rarest elements at LLNL
Actinides are a group of heavy, radioactive elements that include uranium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium and californium. Understanding how these elements bond with other atoms (known as coordination chemistry), how they behave in water and how they can be separated from one another is crucial for safer nuclear waste management, new reactor technologies and…
NNSA Administrator Williams visits LLNL to discuss stockpile modernization, AI and future deterrence
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Brandon Williams visited Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Feb. 9 for briefings and tours focused on stockpile modernization, AI, supercomputing and the future of deterrence. During the visit, Williams met with LLNL…
National Academy of Engineering elects LLNL Director Kim Budil to 2026 class
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Director Kim Budil has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), one of the highest professional distinctions in the field. Recognized for “advancing nuclear deterrence through technical contributions, laboratory leadership and advice to the government,” Budil joins only 2,890 NAE members worldwide…
LLNL researchers discover new way to ‘cage’ plutonium
Plutonium (Pu) exhibits one of the most diverse and complex chemistries of any element in the periodic table. Since its discovery in 1940, scientists have synthesized and studied many different types of plutonium-containing compounds using tools that reveal both their atomic structures and how they interact with light. Not only does plutonium have numerous alloys and…
The Big Ideas Lab podcast learns to create a supernova on Earth
The planets, stars and distant galaxies have long captured our imaginations. Our curiosity about these distant realms has led us to send humans into space, land robots on Mars and create enormous telescopes with unprecedented reach. Here on Earth, scientists are exploring astrophysical phenomena in a special lab — Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition…
When lasers cross: LLNL finds a brighter way to measure plasma
Measuring conditions in volatile clouds of superheated gases known as plasmas are central to pursuing greater scientific understanding of how stars, nuclear detonations and fusion energy work. For decades, scientists have relied on a technique called Thomson scattering, which uses a single laser beam to scatter from plasma waves as a way to measure critical information…
Lab physicist receives Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize
Staff scientist Elizabeth Grace of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been awarded the 2026 European Physical Society-Plasma Physics Division (EPS-PPCF) Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize. “I am very honored to receive this award,” Grace said. “I appreciate the support from my mentors and the opportunities at LLNL, which made this work possible.” She was…
Fusion Power Associates honor NIF target innovator Abbas Nikroo
Abbas Nikroo, deputy director for physics integration at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF), received the 2025 Distinguished Career Award by Fusion Power Associates (FPA). The FPA board of directors honored Nikroo for his “outstanding decades of unwavering commitment and leadership in scientific and management of the…
New code connects microscopic insights to the macroscopic world
In inertial confinement fusion, a capsule of fuel begins at temperatures near zero and pressures close to vacuum. When lasers compress that fuel to trigger fusion, the material heats up to millions of degrees and reaches pressures similar to the core of the sun. That process happens within a miniscule amount of space and time. To understand this process, scientists need to…
Two LLNL scientists elected as 2026 Optica fellows
Optica recently elected 121 members from 23 countries to the society’s 2026 fellow class. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists Mark Henesian and Brent Stuart were among those honored by the scientific society. Optica fellows are selected based on outstanding contributions to research, business, education, engineering and service to Optica and the optics…
Measuring nuclear reactions found inside stars
Radiochemistry experts at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently made the first experimental measurements of nuclear reactions in high-energy-density plasma environments, which are similar to conditions found in stars, as well as thermonuclear explosions. According to John Despotopulos, an LLNL radiochemist who leads the research team, the ability to…
LLNL and Fraunhofer ILT partner on next-generation fusion lasers
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) are joining forces to transition laser-ignited inertial fusion from experiments to industrial applications in a collaboration called ICONIC-FL (International Cooperation on Next-gen Inertial Confinement Fusion Lasers). Through a Cooperative Research and Development…
