The Extreme Light, Matter, and Fusion Directorate (LMF) combines world-leading high-energy-density lasers, optics, and fusion science and technology capabilities, including the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the Jupiter Laser Facility (JLF), the High Energy Density Science Center (HEDS), and the Livermore Institute for Fusion Technology (LIFT), to build the future of U.S. deterrence, energy leadership, and Discovery Science.

LMF is a capability directorate of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, California.

NIF is a premier international center for experimental science. NIF’s powerful laser beams create temperatures and pressures similar to those that exist in the cores of stars and giant planets and inside exploding nuclear weapons. These conditions enable hundreds of LLNL scientists, engineers, and technicians, along with national and international collaborators and users, to conduct one-of-a-kind experiments that help ensure the nation’s security through the National Nuclear Security Administration’s stockpile modernization effort, achieve fusion ignition in the laboratory for the first time, and lay the groundwork for a safe, secure energy future through inertial fusion energy.