Element 116, which was temporarily named ununhexium, almost
ended up with the name moscovium in honor of the region (called an
oblast, similar to a province or state) of Moscow, where the
research labs are located. In the end, it seems the American
researchers won out and the team settled on the name livermorium
(Lv), after the national labs and the city of Livermore in which
they are located. Livermorium was first observed in 2000, when the
scientists created it by mashing together calcium and curium.
For more than half a century, Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory has applied cutting-edge science and technology to
enhance national security.
Origins. The Laboratory was established in 1952 at the
height of the Cold War to meet urgent national security needs by
advancing nuclear weapons science and technology. Renowned
physicists E.O. Lawrence and Edward Teller argued for the creation
of a second laboratory to augment the efforts of the laboratory at
Los Alamos.
At his laboratory on the Berkeley campus of the University of
California, Lawrence had created the model of how large-scale
science should be pursued — through multidisciplinary team
efforts. Activities began at Livermore under the aegis of the
University of California with a commitment by its first director,
Herbert York, to follow Lawrence’s team-science approach and
be a “new ideas” laboratory.
1950s. Livermore made its first major breakthrough with the
design of a thermonuclear warhead for missiles that could be
launched from highly survivable submarines. The Laboratory went on
to develop the first high-yield warheads compact enough that
several could be carried on each ballistic missile.
Programs in fusion energy and advanced computations also were part
of the Laboratory’s initial research portfolio. Livermore
acquired one of the first UNIVAC computers as well as “first
editions” of the increasingly more powerful and faster
computers that followed.
1960s. Exploration of the peaceful use of nuclear explosives
gave rise to bioscience and environmental programs at
Livermore.
Biotechnology developments at Livermore and Los Alamos, such as
chromosome biomarkers and high-speed cell sorters, enabled the
launch of the Human Genome Initiative in 1987. This
multi-laboratory initiative grew to become an international
endeavor that completed sequencing the human genome in 2000.
Livermore’s bioscience programs are now contributing to
national efforts to combat the threat of bioterrorism.
Environmental programs begun in the 1960s have led to novel
groundwater remediation technologies in use at Superfund sites,
models that are contributing to understanding the human impact on
global climate change, and the establishment of the National
Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (NARAC) at Livermore. NARAC
contributes to emergency response decisions after release of
radioactivity or toxic materials, such as the Three Mile Island and
Chernobyl events.
1970s. Livermore launched its laser research program and has
been at the forefront of laser science and technology ever since. A
sequence of ever-larger lasers to explore inertial confinement
fusion is culminating in the National Ignition Facility
(NIF).
NIF will provide essential support to Lawrence Livermore national
security mission and, like its predecessors, will enable untold
scientific discoveries. NIF also is stimulating the development of
a host of new products and processes in U.S. industry.
The energy crisis in the 1970s invigorated energy research programs
at the Laboratory, which are part of the government-industry
partnership to develop long-term reliable, affordable, clean
sources of energy.
1980s. Livermore researchers pioneered the use of multiple
parallel processing for scientific computing. For decades, the need
for ever more powerful simulations for nuclear weapons design
guided industry’s development of supercomputers. Livermore
frequently has been home to “serial number one” of new
computers and has helped industry make prototype machines ready for
a wider range of users.
Multiple parallel processing is now central to the Advanced
Simulation and Computing (ASC) Program, which is a key component of
efforts to maintain the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile
without nuclear testing. “Terascale” and
“petascale” computing is also offering unprecedented
opportunities for scientific discovery.
1990s. After the United States halted nuclear testing in
1992, the Laboratory helped DOE define the Stockpile Stewardship
Program, which is ensuring the safety, security, and reliability of
the nation’s nuclear deterrent without nuclear testing.
Livermore is a key participant in the program and home to unique
capabilities for the effort, such as NIF and several ASC
supercomputers.
To address growing concerns about nuclear proliferation, Livermore
established a program in nonproliferation and international
security. The Laboratory’s analytical and technology
development capabilities were focused on the threat posed by the
acquisition or use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists or
nation states.
2000s.Livermore continued to advance and apply science and
technology to ensure national security within the global context.
The Laboratory successfully completed a life-extension program for
the nation’s most modern ICBM warhead, the W87, that will
enable it to remain in the U.S. strategic arsenal well into the
21st century.
With the terrorist attacks of 2001, Laboratory programs in
counterterrorism and counterproliferation gained impetus, and the
development of new technologies for biodetection, chemical and
explosives detection, and nuclear detection was fast-tracked.
The Laboratory also initiated major efforts in energy security.
This work is aimed at the development of sustainable energy
resources and technologies while reducing their environmental
impacts and increasing our understanding of climate change.
Looking Ahead. As Lawrence Livermore enters its sixth
decade, its focus remains as clear as it was on the first day the
Laboratory opened its doors in 1952 — ensuring the
nation’s security through scientific research and engineering
development, responding to new threats in an ever-changing world,
and developing new technologies that will benefit people
everywhere.