Laboratory will co-lead NASA mission to study stars, planets
NASA has selected Livermore and Goddard Space Flight Center to serve as lead institutions for the Pandora scientific mission that will study 20 stars and their 39 exoplanets.
Lasers & Optics
First light — the birth of the Lab’s laser program
Sixty years ago in 1960, at Hughes Aircraft Company in Malibu, California, Thomas Maiman fired his solid-state ruby laser, emitting humankind’s first coherent visible light. The concept of a laser had been invented by Charles Townes, then a professor at Columbia University, who tested the idea at microwave frequencies in 1953, calling it a maser (now laser, “light” amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). Maiman’s success sparked international competition in laser development for scientific discovery and possible future applications.
SPIE honors Richard Leach with senior member designation
SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, elected Livermore research engineer Richard Leach as a senior member.
Nuclear diagnostics help pave the way to ignition on NIF
LLNL and its partner laboratories and universities have designed and built an extensive suite of more than a dozen nuclear diagnostics for the National Ignition Facility.
A Survey of Transparent Conducting Films and Optoelectrical Materials for High Optical Power Applications
The lifetime laser damage performance of a wide range of transparent conductive materials is assessed, including ultrathin metal films, doped metal oxides, doped compound semiconductors, and graphene whose carrier densities span five orders of magnitude.
Lab teams recognized by Secretary of Energy awards
Former Secretary of Energy Rick Perry recognized Livermore staff with six Secretary’s Honor Awards at a ceremony at Department of Energy headquarters.
Governor Ronald Reagan visits LLNL
In 1967, Ronald Reagan, former movie star and then newly-elected governor of California, visited the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in Livermore, California to tour the facility and become more informed about major ongoing projects, including work on national defense. While the Laboratory had received a number of distinguished visitors during its first 15 years of operations, it had never hosted a governor of California. As such, on Nov. 22, 1967, Ronald Reagan officially became the first governor of California to visit the Livermore site.
Livermore researcher wins SPIE Oral Presentation award
LLNL’s Eyal Feigenbaum received the Alexander Glass Best Oral Presentation Award from SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.
Livermore wins Laser Institute William M. Steen Award
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has won The Laser Institute (LIA)’s inaugural William M. Steen Award for the Academic & Public Sector.
Budil honored for her work in national security
In recognition of outstanding achievements in both academia and public service, Kim Budil, principal associate director for Weapons and Complex Integration, has been honored by her alma mater with the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Medal from UC Davis’ College of Engineering.