Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's activities to achieve ignition byX-ray drive on the National Ignition Facility

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a MJ-class glass laser-based facili ty funded by the Department of Energy which has achieved thermonuclear igni tion and moderate gain as one of its main objectives. In the summer of 1998 , the project was about 40% complete, and design and construction was on sc hedule and on cost. The NIF will start firing onto targets in 2001, and wil l achieve full energy in 2004. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ( LLNL) together with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have the main responsibility for achieving X-ray driven ignition on the NIF In the 1990s , a comprehensive series of experiments on Nova at LLNL, followed by recent experiments on the Omega laser at the University of Rochester, demonstrate d confidence in understanding the physics of X-ray drive implosions. The sa me physics at equivalent scales is used in calculations to predict target p erformance on the NIF, giving credence to calculations of ignition on the N IF An integrated program of work in preparing the NIF for X-ray driven igni tion in about 2007, and the key issues being addressed on the current Inert ial Confinement Fusion (ICF) facilities [(Nova, Omega, Z at Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) and NIKE at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)], are des cribed.