Exploring the universe through Discovery Science on NIF*

An overview of recent research done on the 2 MJ, 192 beam NIF laser facility at LLNL through the NIF Discovery Science program will be presented. A selection of examples will be drawn from experiments on nuclear reactions in capsule implosions relevant to stellar nucleosynthesis [1]; studies of equations of state and phase studies of H, C, CH, and Fe at high pressures (1-60 Mbar) and densities relevant to planetary interiors [2, 3, 4]; heat conduction stabilized Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth relevant to supernova remnants [5]; and high velocity, low density interpenetrating plasma flows that can lead to collisionless astrophysical shocks relevant to galactic collisions and particle acceleration relevant to cosmic ray generation mechanisms. [6]