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From uncertainty to vitality: The future of nuclear energy in Illinois
Nuclear is enjoying a bit of a resurgence. The momentum for reliable energy to support economic development around the country—specifically data centers and AI—remains strong, and strongly in favor of nuclear. And as feature coverage on the states in the January 2026 issue of Nuclear News made abundantly clear, many states now see nuclear as necessary to support rising electricity demand while maintaining a reliable grid and reaching decarbonization goals.
M. Stadermann, C. Aracne-Ruddle, J. Florio, S. Felker, J. Bigelow, S. Johnson, B. Lairson, J. Betcher
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 73 | Number 2 | March 2018 | Pages 273-278
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1372989
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Capsules in National Ignition Facility targets are conventionally supported by thin polymer films. Recent experiments have shown that these films add significant perturbations to the implosion. Here, we evaluate stiffer polyimide composite films for use in a new target design that has been predicted to reduce these perturbations. The films are evaluated by their contact radius to the capsule for different deflections and the force they generate at those deflections to center the capsule. We find that a composite film with a single-sided coating of carbon produces the best results and show the performance of these films in target assemblies, highlighting the importance of the indentation depth.