For a New Department of Energy Lab to Examine Laser Fusion for Energy

This paper gives a summary of a talk by the author at the mini-conference entitled Progress in Making IFE-based Concepts a Reality at the APS-DPP meeting in Atlanta in October, 2024. It argues principally for a new DoE lab to examine the potential opportunity of laser fusion for civilian energy, by direct drive, with an excimer laser. This work is motivated mostly by the demonstration of a burning plasma in an indirect drive configuration, by the Lawrence Livermore National laboratory with its NIF laser. Also, it concludes by briefly gives some impressions of the mini conference.