The kind of heat that the scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore, California generate most days is pretty unusual - unless you happen to be sitting in the deep core of an active star. Using the world’s largest laser, the researchers are able to exceed temperatures of 100 million degrees and create pressures that exceed 100 billion times the Earth’s atmosphere. Visit the...

On December 2, 1942, the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction took place under the squash courts at the University of Chicago. At the helm of this momentous occasion was noted physicist Enrico Fermi. It was a tremendous event and this website pays tribute to his work and legacy. Crafted by librarian Andrea Twiss-Brooks at the University of Chicago, the site contains primary documents related to...

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IEAE), an organization related to the U.N., has the admirable goal of promoting the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology. The IEAE website has an abundance of nuclear-related resources, news and scientific information. To become familiar with the history of nuclear energy, there is a timeline that can be accessed by clicking on "The IAEA in...

Arguably the most famous government research laboratory in the United States, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by the University of California. Scientists associated with the laboratory have received a number of accolades over the years, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 13 National Medals of Science. The materials on the site are...

Based in Paris, the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is a specialized agency within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) whose mission is to assist its member countries in "maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for the safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy...

Most people have heard of the Manhattan Project, but a great many have probably never heard of Project Matterhorn. Started under the leadership of Lyman Spitzer at Princeton University in 1951, this was the code name given to a controlled thermonuclear research effort. With support from Princeton and the US Atomic Energy Commission, Spitzer began to outline the basic concept for creating the...

This latest electronic briefing book from the National Security Archive at George Washington University brings together some fascinating documents related to the 1963 accord outlawing nuclear testing in the atmosphere, under water, and in space. This treaty was called the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT) and for decades many wondered if the nations that signed onto this document might have violated...

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is the name of a revolutionary new power plant that, when completed, will produce the first sustained nuclear fusion reactions. ITER is the culmination of a massive effort, slated as "the world's largest international cooperative research and development project after the International Space Station." In a news report from the British...

In recent years, there has been a great deal of talk regarding alternate energy sources in the United States. While not exactly an "alternate" source of energy, there has definitely been more interest in nuclear energy and related technologies as of late. For anyone interested in such matters, the US Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy is definitely worth a visit. From the homepage,...