Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers, in conjunction with the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), are increasingly looking to AI, robotics and automation to help accelerate advanced manufacturing, materials discovery and experimental science. The work is part of a broader push to move faster from concept to deployment in mission-relevant technologies. For Chris Spadaccini, who leads LLNL's Materials Engineering Division and has helped drive much of the Lab's advanced manufacturing research, that urgency is
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Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Registration is now open for the 2026 Real-World Quantum Computing workshop, jointly hosted by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and San Jose State University (SJSU). The two-day workshop is designed for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in engineering, physics or related fields. Interns are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The workshop aims to orient participants to the physical principles of using superconducting hardware for quantum computing, focusing on low-level calibration and physical controls. This
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Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory called and the signal and image sciences community answered: The Center for Advanced Signal and Image Sciences (CASIS) hosted their 30th annual workshop at the University of California Livermore Collaboration Center (UCLCC) on June 24-25, setting new records for attendance and technical contributions in the workshop's three-decade history. This year's workshop drew 303 registrants, a 35% increase over 2025 and more than double the attendance of just three years ago, along with around 70 talks and 55 posters spanning eight tracks on a parallel agenda
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Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
When a high-intensity laser interacts with plasma, the charged particles typically oscillate back and forth like waves on the ocean. But what if the laser itself could twist like a whirlpool? Researchers have now demonstrated a rotating, spring-shaped laser pulse, opening up new possibilities for fusion energy, particle acceleration, astrophysics and beyond. In new research published in Nature Photonics, scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of California, Irvine demonstrated the first high-intensity "light spring" laser. Unlike conventional
Fusion EnergySpace & AstronomyParticle Physics#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Academic Engagement#Advanced Materials and Manufacturing#High-Energy-Density Science#HPC#Simulation#and Data Science#Laboratory Directed Research and Development
Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is contributing AI-enabled payload optimization and advanced modeling and simulation expertise to Aires Tide, a collaborative National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) demonstration exploring new ways to design flight test vehicles. Developed in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the Kansas City National Security Campus, Aires Tide brings together expertise across design, manufacturing and flight testing in a single cross-enterprise effort. The project is also an early example of the
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Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
While quantum computing could be the future, it is currently plagued by finicky hardware. To make the technology practical, researchers must demonstrate that it consistently and continuously works and performs at scale. In a new study, published in Physical Review Letters, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Ion Storage Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, created a robust process for entangling trapped-ion qubits. The result means better building blocks for ion-based quantum computers. The approach creates a
Technology & Innovation#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Advanced Materials and Manufacturing#computing#HPC#Simulation#and Data Science#Top Story#advanced materials
Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
"The history of failure in war can almost be summed up in two words: too late." General Douglas MacArthur's warning underscored the urgency and importance of the first Decision Superiority Summit, hosted this summer by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where Department of War (DOW) decision makers, scientists, engineers and analysts explored how computer modeling and simulation, artificial intelligence, machine learning and high-performance computing can enable faster, better-informed decisions in the increasingly competitive technological arena of near-peer conflict. "The
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Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have found that implosions designed for inertial fusion energy (IFE) can tolerate significant imperfections before performance abruptly declines, a finding that could inform the design of fuel targets for future fusion power plants. The findings were detailed in a paper titled "Robustness of inertial fusion energy relevant implosions to low-mode asymmetries," published recently in Physics of Plasmas and selected for the journal's cover. The study was led by LLNL physicist Timothy Johnson, who directed the research and analysis
Fusion Energy#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Energy#High-Energy-Density Science#HPC#Simulation#and Data Science#National Ignition Facility and Photon Science#Top Story
Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Each summer, students from across the country join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to gain hands-on experience, work alongside researchers and contribute to projects supporting the Lab's mission. Meet four interns whose work spans emergency preparedness, artificial intelligence, actinide chemistry and additive manufacturing, and learn how their experiences are shaping their careers. Exploring actinide chemistry and nuclear material tracking Asia Jones explores actinide chemistry and nuclear material tracking through spectroscopy and synthesis. Asia Jones, who graduated from Norfolk State University in spring 2026 with a degree in chemistry, is an intern in LLNL's Physical and
Technology & Innovation#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Academic Engagement#Advanced Materials and Manufacturing#Careers#HPC#Simulation#and Data Science#Nuclear
Space & AstronomyLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Each summer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) welcomes students from broad academic backgrounds who bring fresh perspectives and technical expertise to the Lab's mission. This year, interns are contributing to engineering, national security, high-energy laser research and artificial intelligence. Meet four interns and learn how their LLNL experiences are shaping their skills, interests and career goals. Applying classroom lessons to pioneering engineering Julien Rodriguez applies mechanical engineering principles to support safety analysis for a National Ignition Facility diagnostic. Julien Rodriguez is a junior mechanical engineering student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, interning in LLNL's
Space & AstronomyEnvironment & ClimateEnergy Infrastructure#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Academic Engagement#Careers#Engineering#HPC#Simulation#and Data Science#Lasers and Optical S&T
Space & AstronomyLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
From off-roading in rural Nevada to commuting during rush hour on the 405 in Los Angeles, the space domain has undergone a rapid transformation over the past five years. What began as a vast landscape with a few high-profile, large-scale missions is now a heavily trafficked orbital freeway, rife with accident debris and security risks. To navigate this new environment, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) built the Satellite, Telescope, Aerial drone, and Remote sensing Mission Operations Center (STARMOC). The latest episode of the Big Ideas Lab podcast takes listeners inside the
Space & Astronomy#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#computing#Engineering#HPC#Simulation#and Data Science#Space security#Top Story
Research NewsLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Nearly 100 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) students, mentors and staff joined colleagues from across the Department of Energy (DOE) complex recently for a hands-on clinic focused on using agentic artificial intelligence tools in real scientific and technical work. Held in the Lab's Research Library, the 2026 Cross-Laboratory AI Clinic combined shared presentations from DOE and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with local working sessions at LLNL. Participants could bring their own data or research problem or work through a challenge problem developed through LLNL's Data
Particle PhysicsEnergy InfrastructureTechnology & Innovation#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Academic Engagement#computing#Government#HPC#Simulation#and Data Science#Top Story
Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers have been selected to lead 10 Phase I projects under the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Genesis Mission, applying AI to challenges spanning high-performance computing (HPC), fusion energy, Earth systems science, materials discovery, biology, quantum technologies and fundamental physics. LLNL researchers also will contribute to 19 additional Genesis Mission projects led by partner institutions across the national laboratories, academia and industry. DOE announced the awardees July 22 at the Genesis Mission Summit in
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Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Recently, the University of California (UC), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) convened researchers and leaders from across the UC system in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for the first annual AI Science at Scale summit. The summit was planned in recognition of AI's growing role in scientific discovery and the Department of Energy's increasing interest in frontier AI, which subsequently formalized in the Genesis mission. Backed by a $19 million investment from fee income UC earned from managing its DOE national labs, the AI Science at Scale
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Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) require breathtaking precision. Each of the 192 lasers is focused to a width of a few millimeters to enter a 3-millimeter hole at the top or bottom of a 2-centimeter gold canister known as a hohlraum. As they enter, the beams intersect in plasma and transfer power, a process known as crossed-beam energy transfer (CBET). In designing a NIF inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiment, the scientists precisely tune the beams' wavelengths to balance power via CBET and achieve better symmetry. Small
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Research NewsLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Rechargeable lithium batteries trace back to 1972, but they wouldn't reach consumer products until 1991. Solar photovoltaic cells existed in the 1950s, long before solar panels appeared on rooftops. And the MRI was demonstrated in the 1970s, years before the machines became hospital staples. In each case, the core scientific principles had been proven. The difficult part was scaling them into technologies people could reliably use. The average disruptive technology takes roughly 35 years to cross that divide. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are trying to compress
Medical Research#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Advanced Materials and Manufacturing#Energy#Engineering#HPC#Simulation#and Data Science#Top Story
Press ReleasesLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The FlowVAM system eliminates the need to manually exchange print volume in Tomographic Volumetric Additive Manufacturing and incorporates in situ metrology, yielding a 200-fold improvement in part production rates. Image credit: Hazel Rose Galvan/LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers have earned six R&D 100 Awards, which recognize the top 100 inventions worldwide. LLNL was the lead laboratory on four of the winning inventions and contributed to two multi-lab invention wins. Often called the "Oscars of innovation," the trade journal R&D World Magazine
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Space & AstronomyLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
For the second summer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Space Science Institute (SSI) welcomed undergraduate and graduate students to a 10-week internship exploring astronomy, cosmochemistry and astrophysics. Throughout the summer, the 2026 student cohort worked alongside their LLNL mentors on projects reflecting the variety of capabilities available onsite at the Laboratory. "Here at the Lab, there is a huge breadth of research that lives under space science — from performing astrophysical data analysis with LLNL's high-performance computers to characterizing an instrument
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Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF) recently convened supporters, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) leaders, partners and community members to celebrate 10 years of philanthropic impact. The event recognized a decade dedicated to unlocking scientific potential, advancing groundbreaking research and inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders. "Ten years ago, we set out with a vision to connect philanthropic investments with cutting-edge scientific innovation," said LLF Board Chair Dona Crawford. "[This event] isn't just a milestone on a calendar; it's a reflection of what
For grid-scale energy storage and national energy resilience, the U.S. needs better batteries. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are tackling that challenge in many ways, but one approach is making a significant impact: physics-informed machine learning. In two recent publications, LLNL researchers examined how integrating molecular dynamics simulations with physics-informed machine learning can illuminate the relationships between structure and behavior in complex battery materials. They used the powerful combination of techniques to explore carbon anodes in sodium
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Press ReleasesLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
It was a journey to the center of the Earth, if only for the briefest of moments. But rather than tunneling thousands of miles from the Earth's surface, researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and several universities used the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to recreate those extreme temperature and pressure conditions of the Earth's inner core. This enabled the first ever simultaneous measurement of iron's dynamic strength at relevant temperature and pressures. "We study iron because it is a primary constituent of Earth's and other terrestrial planet cores, and
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Press ReleasesLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Officials with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) celebrated the completion of the Digital Infrastructure Capability Expansion (DICE) facility on June 9, marking a major milestone in a decade-long effort to modernize one of the Lab's most critical infrastructure systems. The 13,000-square-foot facility, three times larger than the Lab's previous telecommunications building, replaces a pre-Internet-era facility built in 1985 and will serve as LLNL's main point of entry for networking and communications. Designed to provide
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Press ReleasesLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Deep inside gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, hydrogen and helium coexist under pressures millions of times greater than Earth's atmosphere. At those conditions, helium may separate from hydrogen and influence a planet's internal heat flow, structure and magnetic field. Understanding these processes and how these materials behave under extreme conditions is essential to building accurate models of planetary evolution. New experimental results, published in Physical Review Research, reveal the behavior of helium at unprecedented pressures. The research, conducted by scientists at Lawrenc
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