Sunday 26 October 2008
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will be hosting a tour of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on Sunday 26 October 2008. Buses will depart from the Marriott City Center in Oakland between 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. and return to the hotel between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The tour is free of charge but, because you will be passing through the gates of a National Laboratory, you will need a visitor badge. Citizens from foreign countries must register for the tour before August 1st and US citizens should register before October 1st.
Register here
NIF houses the largest lasers in the world.
NIF's 192 giant lasers, housed in a ten-story building the size of three football fields, will deliver at least 60 times more energy than any previous laser system. When all of its beams are operational, NIF will focus about two million joules of ultraviolet laser energy on a tiny target in the center of its target chamber, creating conditions similar to those that exist only in the cores of stars and giant planets and inside a nuclear weapon. The resulting fusion reaction will release many times more energy than the laser energy required to initiate the reaction. Experiments conducted on NIF will make significant contributions to national and global security, could lead to practical fusion energy, and will help the nation maintain its leadership in basic science and technology. The project is a national collaboration among government, industry and academia and many industrial partners throughout the nation.
Scientists have been working to achieve self-sustaining nuclear fusion and energy gain in the laboratory for more than half a century. When the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is completed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in 2009, that long-sought goal will be much closer to realization.
For more information about the National Ignition Facility please visit the NIF Website.
The NIF tour is available to conference attendees and spouses. Participation is subject to approval.
Buses will take conference attendees to the LLNL badge office and then on to NIF for a self-guided walking tour. NIF docents, stationed throughout the building, will provide information about the facility and answer questions from tour participants. Please ensure that you bring the proper identification (found under the Identification Policy heading, below) or you will not be able to attend.
Immediately following the NIF tour, buses will transport participants back to the Marriott City Center in Oakland around ~ 4:00 p.m.
Conference attendees wishing to attend the NIF tour must sign up by the dates below. Due to badging requirements these dates will be strictly enforced.
Clothing Requirements, Training, and Identification
The NIF site has several clothing requirements that have been implemented to protect individuals and personnel around them. The requirements include long pants that cover the ankle and shirts with sleeves. Short sleeve shirts are acceptable. Sleeveless shirts, tank tops, shorts, capri or cropped pants, skirts or dresses are not acceptable. Sturdy shoes that enclose the entire foot must be worn. Tennis shoes and loafers are acceptable. Footwear with open toes, open backs, moccasins, sandals or high heels are not acceptable.
PLEASE NOTE: THE REGISTRATION, DRESS CODE, AND IDENTIFICATION POLICY WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED
As provided by LLNL, each site visitor will:
US citizens must present at least one of the following types of identification (ID) to the Badge office.
Non-US citizens must present at least one of the following types of ID to the Badge Office upon arrival:
Note: Former non-US citizen visitors visiting as a US citizen for the first time must present proof of naturalization (original naturalization certificate or valid US passport) to the Badge Office at the time of badging.