How ignition and target gain greater than 1 were achieved in inertial fusion

Theoretical Physics Colloquium by Dr. Omar A. Hurricane, Chief Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
This presentation was held live on March 1, 2023 as part of the theoretical physics colloquium series hosted by Prof. Igor Shovkovy at the Arizona State University. The series features high-quality interactive presentations on current advances in theoretical physics by active researchers in the field of theoretical physics.
Abstract for this presentation:
For many decades the running joke in fusion research has been that `fusion’ is twenty years away and always will be. Yet, this year we find ourselves in a position where we can talk about the milestones of burning plasmas, fusion ignition, and target energy gain greater than unity in the past tense – a situation that is remarkable! In this talk, we tell the story of the applied physics challenges that needed to be overcome to achieve these milestones and the strategy our team followed. To help understand the story, several key physics principles of inertial fusion will be presented, and I will try and dispel any confusion about what the terms burning, ignition, and gain mean in the context of inertial fusion research.