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Carolyn Zerkle
Laboratory Principal Deputy Director
Lawrence Livermore has a long history of leadership in scientific research in support of national security. Innovative science requires state-of-the-art facilities, and the Laboratory is home to some of the world’s most advanced technology. To meet continual needs for renewal of facilities and infrastructure, we implemented the Site Development Plan, which is periodically updated in cooperation with the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Energy. The current plan calls for significant efforts to tear down legacy facilities that are no longer in use, repurpose and upgrade existing facilities, and build newer, more modern workspaces in the coming years.
The decommissioning and demolition of legacy buildings at the Laboratory offers an opportunity to reflect on the foundational scientific research conducted in the past. Our feature article, A Legacy of Research, in this issue of Science & Technology Review presents the roles that three legacy facilities played in some of Livermore’s key scientific discoveries and achievements. Making neutrons in the Livermore Pool Type Reactor, discovering new elements within the Heavy Elements Facility, and developing a better understanding of radiation damage at the Rotating Target Neutron Source II facility are only a few of the research efforts that paved the way for today’s achievements. The article also highlights the precautions and steps necessary to safely and cost-effectively decommission and demolish contaminated buildings that housed nuclear research.
As we pay tribute to the legacy of Livermore’s past successes, we also to look forward to exciting new opportunities. The feature article provides one example of how the Laboratory is modernizing its facilities. The Applied Materials and Engineering (AME) Complex, which replaces an aging engineering facility, will advance key science, technology, and engineering capabilities critical to the Laboratory’s mission. Nearing completion, the AME Complex is only one of many new facilities in the works at Livermore intended to provide the most modern research capabilities, foster collaboration, and enable and empower our personnel to do their work safely and flexibly. In the coming years, the AME Complex will be joined by other key facilities such as the National Security Innovation Campus, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Enhanced Yield Capability project, and the Digital Infrastructure Capability Enhancement facility. Each of these will support key programs that feed into meeting Livermore’s mission.
The research highlights in this issue illustrate the impact Livermore research teams have applying their cutting-edge capabilities. The first highlight, Spot-Shadowing Damage on Laser Optics, covers the Laser Energy Optimization by Precision Adjustments to the Radiant Distribution (LEOPARD) technology, an optical device used at NIF to cast shadows over areas of high laser fluence to reduce damage to NIF’s optics systems. Technological advancements to LEOPARD’s optically addressable light valve have moved to commercial markets through Seurat Technologies’ laser-based powder-bed fusion Area Printing® technique for metal additive manufacturing.
The second highlight, Understanding the Changing Climate, discusses the significant advances in climate modeling capabilities achieved with the Simple Cloud-Resolving E3SM (Energy Exascale Earth System Model) Atmosphere Model (SCREAM). The first-ever winner of the Gordon Bell Prize for Climate Modeling, SCREAM can simulate atmospheric evolution at smaller time scales and higher resolutions. The team behind SCREAM has taken steps to adapt the model to predict climate trends 20 years into the future and at even more detailed resolutions.
This issue’s final highlight, Terminal Diagnostics at Sea, features the growth of the LLNL Independent Diagnostic Scoring System (LIDSS) program. LIDSS rafts use advanced diagnostic equipment to test and verify the reliability of the U.S. weapons stockpile. Increased demand for LIDSS’s capabilities due to a shift in focus on weapons testing has resulted in a growing roster of customers and an expanded workspace at Lawrence Livermore.
This issue of S&TR offers a glimpse at only a fraction of the new opportunities and future advancements that we can anticipate at the Laboratory. I am excited to see what comes next.
