“The EYC project will raise NIF’s peak recurring laser energy from 2.2 megajoules to 2.6 megajoules.”
Are there new or planned upgrades to the NIF optical system to effectively handle
the higher energy without increasing optical maintenance or replacement intervals?
https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/articles/nnsa-and-lawrence-livermore-national-laboratory-advance-laser-upgrade-nuclear-0
6 comments:
By September 2012, NIF optics were pushed to their limit, and NIF still failed congressional ignition expectations, but that was a long while back. Maybe NIF optics are well beyond that damage threshold now.
On what basis or proof of principle, should NIF get one penny more? Come on now.
Fusion stocks are going through the roof. With all the AI data centers power will is the key problem and fusion could be answer. NIF is one of the only facilities that achieved some kind real fusion energy. Sure there is ways to go but you can see why people are excited by this and there is going to increasing efforts in fusion.
I would add that with AI, new kinds of fission geometries and optimization will be possible.
AI isn't some magic power that bestows new knowledge. It is trained by humans and can only draw the same conclusions that humans do from what is presently known.
They’ve made 3 orders of magnitude of progress and only have three more to go!
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