NIF
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Physics
| Stands for | National Ignition Facility |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
NIF stands for National Ignition Facility, a physics abbreviation.
Laser fusion facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, where 192 powerful laser beams compress a peppercorn-sized capsule of hydrogen fuel. On December 5, 2022, NIF achieved ignition, releasing 3.15 megajoules of fusion energy from 2.05 megajoules of laser light.
Example: NIF's ignition shot produced more fusion energy than the laser energy delivered to the target.
Usage notes
The milestone was the first controlled fusion experiment to produce net energy gain at the target, though the lasers drew far more energy from the grid than the reaction released. NIF's main mission is maintaining the reliability of US nuclear weapons without testing, and it began operating in 2009.
Related abbreviations
More physics abbreviations
- LHC – Large Hadron Collider
- lidar – Light detection and ranging
- LIGO – Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory
- maser – Microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
- MHD – Magnetohydrodynamics
- NA – Avogadro constant
- NIR – Near-infrared
- PE – Potential energy
- PMT – Photomultiplier tube
- QCD – Quantum chromodynamics
- QED – Quantum electrodynamics
- QFT – Quantum field theory