Overview of the National Ignition Facility.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the world's largest and most energetic laser system for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and experiments studying high energy density (HED) science. The NIF is a 192-beam, Nd-glass laser facility that is capable of producing 1.8 MJ, 500 TW of ultraviolet light, and over 50 times more energetic than other existing ICF facilities. The NIF construction began in 1997, and the facility, which was completed in 2009, is now fully operational. The facility is capable of firing up to 192 laser beams onto a target placed at the center of a 10-m-diameter spherical target chamber. Experiments involving the use of tritium have been underway for some time. These experiments present radiological issues: prompt neutron/gamma radiation, neutron activation, fission product generation, and decay radiation. This paper provides an introduction to the NIF facility and its operation, describes plans for the experimental program, and discusses radiological issues associated with the NIF's operations.