Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a lab operated for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, recently conducted an experiment to determine the ability of U.S. nuclear weapons to survive encounters with adversary missile defenses and reach their targets.
Conducted in October, researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) exposed weapons-grade plutonium samples to intense, pulsed thermonuclear neutron radiation in a controlled laboratory setting to recreate some of the conditions that a U.S. weapon could encounter from enemy missile defense systems.
“This experiment demonstrates how cutting-edge science drives nuclear weapon design and production,” Brad Wallin, LLNL deputy director for strategic deterrence, said. “By providing first-of-its-kind data on plutonium performance, NIF gives us the insight we need to modernize the stockpile and ensure the nation’s deterrent remains credible for the future.”
Researchers directed 2.065 megajoules (MJ) of laser energy at targets, producing a fusion yield of 3.6 MJ.
Researchers used small samples from a legacy W87-0 warhead pit produced in the late 1980s along with a newly manufactured W87-1 pit. A plutonium pit is a core component of a nuclear warhead.
The cryogenic-compatible X-ray, neutron and blast snout, a diagnostic enclosure that safely positions materials near the igniting capsule, was vital to the experiment.