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Big Ideas Lab explores how the Genesis Mission aims to accelerate scientific discovery

Scientific discovery has always moved through a familiar cycle: question, hypothesis, experiment and a result. In the latest episode of the Big Ideas Lab podcast, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) explores how the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Genesis Mission aims to accelerate that process by uniting AI, high-performance computing (HPC), experiments and the…

On May 7, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Director Kim Budil, fourth from left, joined a public-private panel on AI for science, where she highlighted LLNL capabilities and AI focus areas, including the National Ignition Facility, El Capitan, high-fidelity modeling and simulation and advanced materials and manufacturing. (Photo: Jeremy Thomas)

LLNL showcases AI-enabled science, national security and energy innovation at AI+ Expo

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) leaders, scientists and engineers joined national voices at the Special Competitive Studies Project’s (SCSP) AI+ Expo May 7-9 in Washington, D.C., highlighting how AI is reshaping science, security and energy innovation. The public Expo brought together government, industry, academic and Department of Energy (DOE) national…

LLNL’s advanced optics system for Ocula, featuring the Lab’s state-of-the-art monolithic telescope, will capture high-resolution ultraviolet and visible images of the lunar surface onboard Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft in lunar orbit. (Photographer: Gary McLeod)

LLNL optics system set to fly to the moon with Firefly Aerospace for Ocula imaging service

A team of scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently delivered a high-resolution optics system to Firefly Aerospace in support of Firefly’s Ocula commercial lunar imaging service. The payload is scheduled to fly onboard Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft in lunar orbit as part of Blue Ghost Mission 2, targeted to launch no earlier than late 2026. The…

Sonny Ly, deputy group leader for the Laser Material Interaction Science Group in LLNL’s Materials Science Division, conducts hands-on work supporting laser physics and laser-material interactions research. (Photo: Garry McLeod/LLNL)

Meet LLNL: Laser Material Interaction Deputy Group Leader Sonny Ly

Sonny Ly has built a career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) combining laser physics, materials science and mentorship. A deputy group leader in the Laser Material Interaction Science Group within the Materials Science Division under Physical and Life Sciences, Ly first came to the Lab in 2010 as a graduate student from the University of California, Davis…

The Big Ideas Lab podcast, with a nighttime satellite photo of the U.S.

Big Ideas Lab podcast spotlights how Skyfall defends the power grid from cyberattacks

A blackout spread across more than a hundred cities in Ukraine after malware infected the nation’s power grid. This sophisticated breach was the first of its kind, speaking the language of the industrial control systems to carry out a remote operation on physical infrastructure. The incident led U.S. Department of Energy national security experts to ask: what would happen…

LLNL teams attended the Energy I-Corps Cohort 22 kick-off in Colorado March 16-20, 2026. Pictured from left to right: Ryan Muir, Leily Kiani, Candice Bila, Clint Frye, and Qinghui Shao.(Credit: Kira Voss)

Two LLNL teams attend DOE’s Energy I-Corps Cohort 22

Continuing a decade of entrepreneurial training and commercializing mission innovation, two teams of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers attended the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy I-Corps (EIC) Cohort 22 in Colorado this spring. The EIC is a key initiative of the DOE’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC). Candice Bila from the…

The AVLIS program began at LLNL in 1973 and was suspended in 1999. Now, the technology is being revived to create a domestic process for enriching lithium and fuel an energy-resilient nation.

Revitalized laser technology captures commercialization grant

Small, modular nuclear fission reactors and fusion facilities could each be the future of resilient and secure energy in the U.S. and around the world. But these technologies rely on isotopes of lithium to cool fission reactors and create fusion fuel. Currently, there is no sustained, domestic production mechanism for lithium isotopes in the U.S. that meets projected…

ARAC scientist Marv Dickerson keeps members of the media informed about the status of radioactive releases from the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. (LLNL Archives)

Four decades after Chernobyl, National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center reflects on a defining moment

Documents were scattered across the floor as scientists hurriedly reviewed reports on weather patterns and radiation measurements, while colleagues in Europe awaited updates and information on the emerging radioactive crisis. Forty years later, the Chernobyl reactor accident response stands as critical experience that paved the way for what is now the National Atmospheric…

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory leaders and researchers accept the 2026 Manufacturer of the Year award in the large manufacturer category from the Association of Manufacturers Bay Area (AMBayArea) on April 21, recognizing the Lab’s leadership in advanced manufacturing, engineering and national security innovation. Pictured (l-r) are LLNL Materials Engineering Division Leader Chris Spadaccini, robotics engineer Mason Sage, Government & Industry Relations Senior Advisor Yuvaraj Sivalingam and Director

LLNL named 2026 Manufacturer of the Year by AMBayArea

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been named the 2026 Manufacturer of the Year in the large manufacturer category by the Association of Manufacturers Bay Area (AMBayArea), recognizing the Lab’s leadership in advanced manufacturing, engineering and national security innovation. The award was announced April 21 during the AMBayArea Summit at the Chabot Space …

LLNL researchers invented a high-throughput platform that screens proteins for their rare earth element binding preferences at unprecedented scale. (Photos: Blaise Douros/LLNL)

New protein-screening platform accelerates rare-earth separation for U.S. supply chain

To ensure a robust domestic supply chain in the U.S., Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are using bacterial proteins to separate the rare-earth elements that are ubiquitous in magnets, batteries and electronics. These proteins, called lanmodulin, evolved in bacteria that use rare-earth elements to power their metabolism. But to scale up and advance…

The Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER) facility at the Nevada National Security Site uses a two-stage gas gun to study plutonium under extreme conditions.

Big Ideas Lab podcast explores JASPER and the science of measuring plutonium under extreme conditions

In less than a microsecond, a projectile traveling thousands of meters per second strikes its target, generating pressures and temperatures too extreme to observe directly. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), scientists use that moment to answer complex questions for national security. The latest episode of the Big Ideas Lab podcast takes listeners to the…

Adding an optimized void structure (top right) counteracts a shockwave-induced instability, reducing jetting (bottom right) that can interfere with inertial confinement fusion. Without this void, significant jetting occurs (bottom left). (Image: Strucka et al.)

Looking into the void to cancel out material instabilities

Picture two materials sandwiched together. The boundary between them may appear flat, but, in reality, it is full of tiny bumps and dents. Suddenly, the materials are hit with a shockwave. If that wave hits a bump in the material interface, it slows down. If it hits a dent, it accelerates forward. This imbalance creates fast, narrow jets of material — called the Richtmyer…

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has announced five research teams selected for awards through the Lab’s FY26 Academic Collaboration Team annual call for proposals.

Weapons Physics & Design ACT awards drive university partnerships and research

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has announced five research teams selected for awards through the Lab’s FY26 Academic Collaboration Team (ACT) annual call for proposals. Awards support university research partners for up to three years to perform research in collaboration with Lab scientists and offer an important way to build long-term connections with…

Big Ideas Lab podcast is marking a new milestone with the release of its 50th episode

All 50 episodes of the Big Ideas Lab now available on LLNL podcast page

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Big Ideas Lab podcast marks a new milestone with the release of its 50th episode. The latest episode, delving into high-performance computing for energy innovation, can be found alongside the entire series on the new LLNL podcast page. Since its debut in September 2024, the Big Ideas Lab has aimed to rethink how science…

The Enhanced Fusion Yield Capability project will increase the laser energy available to LLNL’s National Ignition Facility

NNSA and LLNL advance laser upgrade for nuclear stockpile mission ahead of schedule

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have approved a path forward for a project that will increase the laser energy available to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). This advancement was expedited by key regulatory changes made in March 2025 by U.S. Secretary of Energy…

The magnetic microcalorimetry team operates a dilution refrigerator used for ultra-sensitive magnetic microcalorimetry. Their work enables the precise measurement of nuclear decay events at extremely low temperatures. From left to right: Inwook Kim, Chang Lee, Geon-Bo Kim (corresponding author), Ryan Wood (first author) and Nathan Hines.

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…

National Ignition Facility (NIF) Director Gordon Brunton (right foreground) shows NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams a target used for inertial confinement fusion experiments at NIF on Feb. 9.

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…

Novel crossed-beam energy transfer (CBET) technique for measuring plasma conditions.

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…

Elizabeth Grace was awarded the 2026 European Physical Society-Plasma Physics Division (EPS-PPCF) Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize.

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…

The moon’s orbit is shown in light gray. The spacecraft follows the colored path over the six-year simulation period.

Simulations and supercomputing calculate one million orbits in cislunar space

Satellites and spacecraft in the vast region between the earth and moon and just beyond — called cislunar space — are crucial for space exploration, scientific advancement and national security. But figuring out where exactly to put them into a stable orbit can be a huge, computationally expensive challenge. In an open-access database and with publicly available code,…