Scientists Say Their Giant Laser Has Produced Nuclear Fusion!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/12/275896094/scientists-say-their-giant-laser-has-produced-nuclear-fusion
Researchers at a laboratory in California say they've had a breakthrough in producing fusion reactions with a giant laser. The success comes after years of struggling to get the laser to work and is another step in the decades-long quest for fusion energy.
Omar Hurricane, a researcher at , says that for the first time, they've produced significant amounts of fusion by zapping a target with their laser. "We've gotten more energy out of the fusion fuel than we put into the fusion fuel," he says.
It is all over the news now!
A Star Is Born: US Scores Fusion-Power Breakthrough
Wall Street Journal - 6 hours ago
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/12/275896094/scientists-say-their-giant-laser-has-produced-nuclear-fusion
NIF hails fusion breakthrough
Optics.org-9 hours ago
Dr Hurricane unleashes FUSION at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Register - 4 hours ago
Scientists achieve 'turning point' in fusion energy quest
Sydney Morning Herald - 2 hours ago
Scientists achieve nuclear fusion milestone (+video)
Christian Science Monitor - 3 hours ago
Nuclear fusion breakthrough raises hopes for ultimate green energy source
The Guardian - 10 hours ago
Comments
http://www.businessinsider.com/physicists-get-closer-to-reaching-ignition-2014-2
This, after successfully launching thousands of German V2 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missles into the London and Amsterdam countrysides during WW2.
In a hundred meter dash, the first step is as important as the last.
POS
February 13, 2014 at 7:46 PM
Except that this isn't a dash - it's a long, slow slog that has been barely moving for the past 40 years. Fusion energy is always "50 years away." It is time to cut the old sloggers and find someone who knows how to run. We don't need more money, we need more brains. Or maybe someone will have the guts to just quit this nonsense and find another source of cheap renewable energy that can actually power the grid 24/7.
POS
February 13, 2014 at 8:24 PM"
Goddard wrote numerous high profile papers and got some of his ideas from reading the papers others such as Sam Langley. He received his BS MA and Ph.d in physics, was a researcher at Princeton, than professor of physics at Clark University where he did much his work. His research was financed by the Smithsonian Institute and the US Army and in latter years by the other government agencies.
The Guggenheim's got their money from being textile merchants, mining and steel industrialists. All of these use the Commons heavily, so in essence the use of public systems and resources by a powerful rich family was passed on to Goddard. The point is even private funding often can be traced back to an unfair taking of public wealth.
So ease up on the whole LLNL is a public funds drain. They could be managed WAY better though!
http://www.businessinsider.com/physicists-get-closer-to-reaching-ignition-2014-2
balanced and short.
No grist for the mill, except by deliberate misinterpretation.
Read it.
This assertion is not factual, NIF scientists announced an important advance along the expected path, 15 kJ of fusion neutrons.
A breakthru is an advance that that leads to unexpected improvements. This result does not, nor was it presented that way.
Only a counterfactual detractor can misconstrue this carefully crafted, balanced announcement of progress to date into "it is not a breakthrough, this announcement misleads us."
That's why I chose to earn a living in engineering. Few people, good people, objective goals and methods, and the blessed isolation from the shortcomings of most obnoxious people.
J. D. Salinger got this part right.
"Few people,"
There are more than 100000 bachelors degrees given out in engineering degrees every year, there are only about 5000 bachelors degrees given out in physics every year/
"good people"
There are many good people in engineering just as there are many good people in science.
" objective goals and methods,"
Science also has objective goals and methods. For example the scientific method.
"and the blessed isolation from the shortcomings of most obnoxious people."
Engineering projects are commonly done in large teams much more so than in science. Every field can have a portion of obnoxious people and engineering is no different..
"J. D. Salinger got this part right."
On the contrary J.D. Salinger was actually a very sociable person.
NIF: 1
Z-machine: 0
LLNL wins!
February 14, 2014 at 5:17 PM
Yeah, wins the obfuscation and deceit award. Make sure that when the media spins this all out of proportion and beyond all logic and science, that you don't, at all costs, correct them. There are no winners among the despicable collusion to deceive the public that has just occurred, least of all the public.
The last thing that was reported by Sandia was the chili cookoff!...which was a total dud.
http://llnlthetruestory.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-waste.html
You are correct. The article is an excellent report. Before anyone comments further, he/she should read it.
February 14, 2014 at 9:19 PM"
Read it, humanity is closer than ever to limitless energy! Sandia is way behind and will never catch up so they should fire everyone single person at Sandia and make sure they never work again. Give the money that went to Sandia to boost the salaries of the LLNL NIF guys so they can party like it is 1999 as the new age of fusion dawns. The champagne corks are a popping and the third stone Earth rejoices!!! NIF Uber Alles!!!
Look we all agree perception is reality. The media now rules and we all agree on how the game is played. If the media says NIF was a huge success than to DC it is a HUGE SUCCESS. This is the reality like it or not. I say we go with some good news for a change. It is progress and worthy of celebration. Hopefully more is to come.
February 14, 2014 at 10:36 PM
Uh, guess I missed the vote. Actually, *accurate* perception is reality.
Same idea as not all "practice makes perfect," just correct practice.
February 15, 2014 at 11:29 AM
Since the posts are anonymous, you must be absolutely convinced that no one from inside LLNL holds any strong negative feelings about NIF. You are wrong.
The Livermorons who hate NIF are the code-jockeys who don't like experiments that test the validity of their modelling. They just like to run code day in and day out as it makes them look busy. The test ban treaty was the best thing for them because they can run simulation to their heart's content and just create more questions rather than solving them.
February 15, 2014 at 2:55 PM
If what you are telling us is true, then science as a discipline is dead at Livermore.
February 15, 2014 at 2:24 PM
Definitely! Both Sandia Livermore and Sandia Albuquerque are out-of-date, out-of-place and totally irrelevant now!
Lets stick to the real point. This is and always has been about Sandia. NIF was made to beat Sandia and that is what it is doing. Sandia has always been the problem child of NNSA complex and everyone knows it. All Sandia has is Z... and that is it. If NIF can kill Z than Sandia dies that would be a major achievement well worth every penny of NIF. The only people that have ever attacked NIF are the Sandians since they know that if NIF succeeds they are going to finally close Sandia once and for all. By the way it is true that code monkeys hate experiment all theorists and computational people hate experiments. Sandia is filled with these types. The theory hating experiment has gone back to the days of Newton. Experiment is science while theory is ego pushing. Name one thing a theorist or a computational person ever did that actually advanced science......crickets. Ya I thought so. Thank God I went into engineering, I never have to interact with anyone ever and work with the few and the good and I never have use a code or listen to some theorist.
"Thank God I went into engineering, I never have to interact with anyone ever"
Well that sounds very pleasant.
I have my theory on a few of the posters. Of course it could be pure nonsense but would explain alot.
(1) There is is one person from LLNL who was fired or forced out and now hates every single human being earth.
(2) There is one person who is engineer who actually really wanted to be scientist but it did not happen so he hates all scientists.
(3) There is one person who wanted to be scientist or an engineer but flunked out of college and now hates anyone with a college degree. This person still thinks they are some kind great unrecognized genius. Everyone else knows to him as the creepy tech guy that everyone tries to avoid.
(4) There is some EOS guy who has some personal bone to pick with EOS. He may actually have a point?
(5) There is they guy who lost his girlfriend to someone who works on the Z-machine at Sandia so he is kinda bitter about that.
(6) There is the free market anti government guy who worked in the military for first part of career now works for the lab for the second part. The irony is driving him insane.
(7) There is some guy who is the poorest performer in his group and knows that when the budget gets tight he is gone. He thinks if they just have less of the overhead going to NIF that they will have plenty of money to keep the poor performers like himself on the payroll.
(8) There is some guy who likes to think he is rich and powerful but he is just pissed that he was let go before he could get that great pension. He is hoping all the younger people get screwed over just like him.
(9) There are some people with legitimate points.
I think that's got to be close.
Good work.
February 15, 2014 at 10:40 PM"
Yes all the labs are populated by dedicated engineers and scientists. This is a blog and like all blogs it gets comments from the tail of the distribution in terms are nuttiness and ignorance. I think you should know this by now. Blogs are fine and even fun and sometimes they are some insightful comments.
In the LLNL-true story blog the real value is that the moderator puts information on the blog that can be useful, so it is a very good information source. The comments are mostly worthless. Do you ever read news blog comments? Same thing. Bush sucks, Obama sucks, you suck, Star Wars is better than Star Trek, personal vendettas, a place for the insane and looney to talk. This is all fine and well but take the comments for it for exactly what they are.
LLNL is back in the saddle again!
At least it's a good warm up for the high-speed rail to Bakersfield.
Sign me up.
"Thank God I went into engineering, I never have to interact with anyone ever"
Well that sounds very pleasant.
February 15, 2014 at 9:24 PM"
Read the original quote correctly and you will get your facts straight. Your life will get better with better reading habits
" Timothy Shepodd (8223) liked the moniker and agreed to call it the “chili cookoff.” But there was no chili involved, and the only “cooking” had to do with the kind of chemicals not usually found on Sandia grounds. "
February 15, 2014 at 8:48 PM"
I am the original poster, so let me clarify this post for all to know. I have my daily prayer, others have their own. For example a well known one is.
""Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a Gentile."
"Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a slave."
Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a woman.""
I am of of a different faith but I do interact with others and it is indeed pleasant. My daily prayer is thus, and so should be to everyone.
"Thank you God for not having made me a scientist."
"Thanks you God for not having made me a intellectual."
"Thank you God for betrothing me the the gift of denial"
Hear these words and heed them... they will serve well. If more had followed we would not have had NIF.
This is a blog and what is spoken anonymously on blogs is sacred truth for all time. Everyone at LLNL knows this. So let it be blogged, so let it be done.
February 17, 2014 at 9:31 PM
It's not a gift; it's a curse. Unless you enjoy having such a tenuous grip on reality.
Let's see... 1800kJ is a jelly donut and 14kJ is an old man's brief, labored intercourse.
Hey. I am on the foreskin of science.
February 15, 2014 at 3:03 AM
He's still there, by way of the people he appointed and put in their management positions, people who are still there and as incompetent as ever. It would take focused effort and time to purge NIF of those people, and until then they are his legacy.
February 25, 2014 at 7:25 AM"
Yes he is still here, and in case you had not noticed the Nature paper that came but NIF ate all you naysayers lunch. NIF worked as exactly as it was intended.
February 25, 2014 at 8:35 PM
Well, I guess that means that NIF was a very expensive boondoggle that was never "intended" to accomplish much.
February 25, 2014 at 10:06 PM"
Bitter much? Has it ever occurred to you that your problems at the lab have more to do with your low performance rather than NIF? Is your thinking that along lines of this by any chance? "If NIF was gone than they would have plenty of money to keep mediocre people like me." Well guess what if NIF was not around you would be exactly in the same boat. Fess up tell us the real reason you hate NIF so much.
February 26, 2014 at 7:11 AM
Amateur psychoanalysis is quite amusing. Maybe the "real" reason is just what he said. And just so you know (and I know this goes against everything you've been brainwashed to believe), disputing an issue does NOT equate to "hate."
February 26, 2014 at 9:19 PM"
Sometimes a bitter ex lab employee who was fired because they where totally incompetent is just a vile bitter POS who hates the world and thinks the world owes the something. (or not) or is.
February 26, 2014 at 9:57 PM
Geez - more amateur psychoanalysis. And drunk to boot. Or maybe just really, really, grammatically challenged.
February 26, 2014 at 9:19 PM
"Monica loved cigars." Bill Clinton