9.3. NIF Facilities

As shown in Figure 9-1, NIF encompasses three interconnected buildings: the Optics Assembly Building (OAB), the Laser and Target Area Building (LTAB), and the Operational Support Building (OSB). Inside the OAB, large precision-engineered laser components are assembled under stringent cleanroom conditions into modules called line replaceable units (LRUs) for installation into the laser system.

The LTAB houses the 192 laser beams in two identical bays. Large mirrors, specially coated for the laser wavelength and mounted on highly stable 10-story-tall structures, direct the laser beams through the switchyards and into the Target Bay. There they are focused to the exact center of the 10-meter-diameter, concrete-shielded Target Chamber.

The OSB, located adjacent to the NIF target area, accommodates development, calibration, and maintenance of diagnostics for use on NIF as well as a neutron activation counting room, the NIF Hazardous Materials Management Area (HMMA), and areas to stage and test instruments. There is direct access from the OSB to the target area at several different floor levels in the Target Bay.