Abstract. The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fusion Energy Science (OFES) formed the Virtual Laboratory for Technology (VLT) to develop the technologies needed to support near term fusion experiments and to provide the basis for future magnetic and inertial fusion energy power plants. The scope of the inertial fusion energy (IFE) element of the VLT includes the fusion chamber, driver/chamber interface, target fabrication and injection, and safety and environmental assessment for IFE. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in conjunction with other laboratories, universities and industry, has written an R&D plan to address the critical issues in these areas over the next 5 years in a coordinated manner. This paper provides an overview of the U.S. research activities addressing these critical issues.
IAEA 2001