NIF achieves ignition for the sixth time
A shot delivering about 2.2 MJ of laser energy produced approximately 4.1 MJ of fusion yield, reported as the sixth time NIF achieved fusion ignition. The step is included to show the cadence of repetition between the 2022 first result and the 2025 record, which is what distinguishes a controlled capability from a one-off.
Observed — measured or witnessed, with the observation cited.
Subjects
- National Ignition Facility · research facility · United States
- Inertial confinement fusion · confinement concept · not located
- Fusion energy gain (Q) and target gain · physical quantity · not located
Evidence
Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent.
Target Breakthrough Enabled Fusion Record at NIF
NIF's highest reported fusion yield and target gain to date, and the cadence of repeat ignition shots since December 2022
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, National Ignition Facility & Photon Science · 2025 · Partly verified
LLNL/NIF news item, lasers.llnl.gov/news/target-breakthrough-enabled-fusion-record-nif; 7 April 2025 shot, 2.08 MJ delivered at 456 TW peak power producing ~8.6 MJ yield, target gain ~4.13; also records the 18 November 2024 shot at ~2.2 MJ in and ~4.1 MJ out as the sixth ignition
Recorded on National Ignition Facility
- JET's DTE1 campaign sets the first deuterium-tritium fusion power record
- NIF exceeds the Lawson criterion for ignition
- NIF achieves target gain greater than unity for the first time
- NIF repeats target gain and raises the yield to 3.88 MJ
- JET sets the single-pulse fusion energy record of 69.26 MJ
- NIF achieves ignition for the sixth time
- NIF reaches 8.6 MJ yield and a target gain of 4.13
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems' declared target for net energy gain at SPARC
Related
Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.
- NIF reaches 8.6 MJ yield and a target gain of 4.13 · 2025-04-07
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems' declared target for net energy gain at SPARC · 2027
- JET sets the single-pulse fusion energy record of 69.26 MJ · 2023-10-03
- NIF repeats target gain and raises the yield to 3.88 MJ · 2023-07-30
- NIF achieves target gain greater than unity for the first time · 2022-12-05
- NIF exceeds the Lawson criterion for ignition · 2021-08-08
- JET's DTE1 campaign sets the first deuterium-tritium fusion power record · 1997