Letter to Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein - Regarding Funding for Rochester Laser Lab

Letter

Dear Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Feinstein:

As you begin consideration of the Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill, we write to request you provide $78,000,000 for the OMEGA Laser Facility at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) within the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Weapons Activities Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program. We are requesting $68,000,000 in major technical effort support -- the same level as the FY16 enacted level -- and $10,000,000 to support the research and development of pulsed power driver technology in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories (SNL).

The LLE is a vital contributor to our national and global security and plays an important role in the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Yield Campaign, key elements of the DOE's Safety and Security Policy (SSP). As home to two of the world's most powerful and highest energy lasers (OMEGA and OMEGA EP), the LLE is recognized nationally and internationally for its critical contributions to the DOE's ICF and high energy density physics (HEDP) programs in partnership with three national laboratories (Los Alamos, SNL and Livermore). The LLE has made critical contributions to the sustainment of the nation's nuclear stockpile and advancements to ensure the U.S.'s undisputed global leadership in HED science. NNSA has recognized LLE's accomplishments by stating that LLE is a "very cost effective user facility" that "has made significant contributions to the Stockpile Stewardship Program." In addition, the National Academy of Sciences recently stated that the LLE is the "the leader of direct drive inertial confinement fusion with solid-state lasers."

More than 500 individuals are currently involved in the program, and its National Laser User's Facility (NLUF) hosts more than 400 scientists from many of the world's leading research universities and national laboratories to carry out fundamental research, training and education in HEDP, high-power lasers, and electro-optics technology. Through its groundbreaking research, the LLE provides a strong stimulus to the regional economy as a source of new start-up companies and a driver of New York's high-technology sector.

For FY17, we seek support for $68,000,000 ($5,200,000 less than LLE's five-year $345,094,000 Cooperative Agreement with the DOE/NNSA) to provide the necessary resources to support the LLE's research programs, operations, and experiments on OMEGA and OMEGA EP in support of an ignition demonstration on the NIF, the HEDP program, and basic science. These funds also enable LLE to operate the OMEGA facilities for the user community from the national laboratories and universities.

In addition, the SNL and the LLE are partnering to develop new university-scale pulsed power facilities and programs to provide advanced research to develop the next generation pulsed power system that will be mated with the existing OMEGA-EP laser. This unique pulsed-power laser facility will serve the SSP and HEDP community in the same manner as OMEGA has done for laser-based science in support of these important DOE-NNSA missions. The United States is currently the global leader in high-energy and high-power pulsed power science, engineering, technologies, and their application.

However, there is growing interest in Russia and China with facilities under construction. LLE, in collaboration with SNL, have the opportunity to maintain the U.S.'s dominance in this important and growing element of HEDP and SSP. Recognizing the strategic importance of continued U.S. leadership in this area, we seek additional funding of $10,000,000 to support develop the next generation pulsed power technology and mission applications of this unique laser-pulsed power facility. This laboratory-university collaboration has strong support from the State of New York and will also strengthen the nation's ability to train and attract scientists and engineers needed to execute our national security missions, contribute to the Science Campaigns, and make important scientific contributions in ICF and HEDP. As part of this initiative, NLUF will be expanded to build U.S. expertise in pulsed power, an important technology for the SSP.

Continued federal investment in the LLE will advance the nation's scientific leadership, strengthen our national security, train the next generation of scientists, foster the development of new technologies, grow our economy, and support efforts to find an affordable, plentiful, and efficient source of energy for the future.

We recognize the difficult funding constraints in which the Subcommittee is operating under and thank you for the consistent support. LLE's cost-effective activities support NNSA's critical stockpile stewardship mission and are vital to national security, and we urge you to include $78,000,000 for the LLE in the FY17 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

United States Senator

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