History

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While officially named “Jupiter Laser Facility” in 2006, JLF’s lasers have served as a foundational resource to the HED and fusion science communities for decades. What started out as the one-beam, 10-joule Janus laser has grown into a modernized mid-scale facility capable of producing two kilojoules of energy.

  • 1970s–1980s
    A room full of laser equipment and stainless-steel tabletops.
    In 1974, Janus became Livermore’s first ever laser for inertial confinement fusion research, originally with two beams and producing tens of joules of energy.
    • In 1974, Janus was first fielded.
    • Janus was used in pioneering experiments within LLNL’s inertial confinement fusion and x-ray laser programs.
    • Most notably, this research first demonstrated the thermonuclear reaction in laser-imploded deuterium‒tritium fuel capsules.
    • At this time, Janus spurred the development of many important diagnostic techniques, including a method for obtaining a high-resolution image of an imploded target and measuring its temperature, which led to better experimental characterizations.
    • Janus helped improve the LASNEX computer code, a hydrodynamics code used for laser fusion predictions that is still in use today.
  • 1997
    The COMET laser.
    The COMET laser was first used in 1997 to study the expansion of high-density plasmas.
    • The compact multipulse terawatt laser, better known as “COMET,” entered operation.
    • It was one of only a handful of capabilities in the world for producing tabletop, laser-driven x-rays to study the expansion of high-density plasmas.
    • With its short wavelengths, COMET became a game-changing platform for plasma research purposes—as the shorter the laser’s wavelength, the more effectively it can penetrate high-density plasmas.
  • 2006
    Hui Chen works on the Titan target chamber.
    Physicist Hui Chen conducts positron experiments on Titan, circa 2006.
    • Titan, JLF’s newest laser, was commissioned.
    • Over the years, Titan has been crucial for developing NIF’s diagnostics and targets, as well as helping to advance the understanding of issues facing fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion.
    • It remains one of only a few high-intensity lasers in the world combining high energy and extremely short pulse lengths.

JLF’s long history makes it well positioned to push forward the next generation of HED and laser science, playing a key role in the physics, diagnostics, and platform development needed to help the NNSA and other Department of Energy-funded institutions accelerate the viability of inertial fusion energy in the United States.