Laser-fusion showdown

摘要

A watchdog office of the US government criticized the Department of Energy's showcase laser-fusion facility last week, warning that management problems there could hamper the ability of scientists to use it to ensure the reliability of the US nuclear arsenal.rnConstruction of the US$3.5-billion National Ignition Facility (NIF) began at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California in 1997 and was completed in 2009. NIF's 192 lasers are designed tornblast a target smaller than a dime with 1.8 megajoules of energy, igniting the fusion reaction that occurs in hydrogen bombs.