To meet the nation's need for a scientifically well-founded basis for a fusion energy supply, Berkeley Lab continues its role at the forefront of inertial confinement fusion science. To this end, we are defining, with the research community, the scientific questions that must be addressed for developing heavy-ion accelerators as fusion energy drivers. Understanding this science opens the prospect for efficient and reliable pellet ignition for civilian power production in the 21st century. The Lab's accomplishments and plans support the recommendations of the national Fusion Energy Science Advisory Committee. Beamline service hours have doubled since 1996.
New partnerships are under way with the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries.
The facility is now a collaboratory with remote interoperability for users. Environmental molecular sciences is a new field where an ALS beamline proposed by the scientific community could reveal at high resolution the distribution and chemical state of inorganic and organic materials in living samples. The Laboratory is helping to design and fabricate key detector and accelerator systems at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe. The Laboratory's geoscience capabilities are being deployed to address the national need for a suitable site for the long-term storage of the nation's nuclear waste. For Yucca Mountain, we have prepared a detailed plan focusing on the site's viability and suitability as a repository.