50 years ago, scientists dreamed of lasers that could kick off nuclear fusion
Excerpt from the September 29, 1973 issue of Science News
Nearly 200 powerful lasers at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, Calif., blast a fuel pellet (illustrated), igniting nuclear fusion that can release more energy than the lasers put in.
LLNL
A powerful pulse of laser light: Step toward fusion — Science News, September 29, 1973
One spur to the development of more powerful lasers is the possibility of using them in projects seeking to gain electric power from controlled thermonuclear fusion.