![\"Ernest](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Schumer_Moniz2.jpg\")
Established at the University in 1970, the LLE is an internationally recognized center for the investigation of the interaction of intense radiation with matter. As a nationally funded facility, the LLE has a mission that includes conducting implosion and other experiments to support a Department of Energy program to explore fusion as a future source of energy, to develop new laser and materials technologies, and to conduct research and to develop technology related to high-energy-density phenomena. The LLE is recognized nationally and internationally for its substantial contributions to the DOE\u2019s Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and high energy density physics (HEDP) programs in partnership with three national laboratories (Los Alamos, Sandia, and Livermore). In addition, the LLE provides graduate and undergraduate educational programs to students at Rochester and other universities across the country, and it operates a national program to support qualified researchers throughout the United States to conduct research using its facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are so proud\u2014every New Yorker from one end of the state to the other\u2014that the URochester is leading the charge to unlock the next chapter in the story of energy innovation, which is fusion power,\u201d Schumer said. \u201cRochester’s Omega lab is one of a kind.\u201d<\/p>\n
The visit by Moniz and Schumer follows a milestone experiment at the facility. The recent experiments using the facility’s Omega laser show great potential and scale to conditions that could produce record fusion energy yields at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory if it were configured for symmetric direct drive.<\/p>\n
Omega stands 10 meters tall and is slightly longer than a football field. The system delivers pulses of laser energy onto targets measuring less than a millimeter in diameter in approximately one billionth of a second. LLE is also home to the smaller Omega EP which extends the performance and capabilities of the OMEGA Laser System.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Laboratory for Laser Energetics is the world leader in direct drive fusion, as well as laser development and innovation, thanks to the support of the Department of Energy and the U.S. Congress,\u201d said Robert McCrory, who holds the title of University Professor and who has directed the laboratory since 1983. \u201cAs a result of steadfast support from representatives like Senator Schumer, OMEGA\u2019s lasers are the largest, most capable, and most cost-effective found at any academic institution in both the U.S. and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Funding for LLE is administered by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), an agency within the Department of Energy, thanks to the support of the U.S. Congress. With an annual budget of about $70 million, the laboratory has received more than $1.5 billion in federal funding over the past three decades. Currently, there is $68 million pending in Congress in fiscal year 2017 funding. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ 300 scientists, engineers, and others are employed by the facility each year. The DOE designated LLE as the National Laser User\u2019s Facility (NLUF). As a result, the LLE also hosts more than 400 scientists from all over the world to carry out fundamental research, training and education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear that the URochester and the laser lab are America\u2019s best bet when it comes to developing the technology and research that will bring our country forward,\u201d Schumer said.<\/p>\n
Moniz has led the U.S. Energy Department since 2013, serving as President Barack Obama\u2019s chief advisor on energy strategy, innovation, and technology. Prior to his appointment, he was the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was a faculty member since 1973. At MIT, he headed the Department of Physics and the Bates Linear Accelerator Center. He also served as the founding director of the MIT Energy Initiative and as director of the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz (right), joined by Senator Charles Schumer, made his first visit to the Laboratory for Laser Energetics yesterday. Moniz and Schumer met with researchers and toured the facility, which is seen as a driver for regional innovation and growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":194092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[29502,19272,5296],"class_list":["post-193422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sci-tech","tag-featured-post-side","tag-government","tag-laboratory-for-laser-energetics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n