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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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July 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
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NRC proposes security regulation changes
In 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14300, “‘Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” which directs the NRC to conduct a sweeping, multifaceted overhaul of its structure, culture, and regulations with the aim of facilitating increased deployment of new nuclear technologies and capacity.
Neal Bhandarkar, Anastacia M. Manuel, Peter Celliers, Laura Robin Benedetti, Kalpani Werellapatha, Martin Gorman, Cara Vennari, Nathan E. Palmer, Yong-Jae Kim, John Chesser, Rebeca Rangel, Darrold Ponce, Joshua Ponce, Jean Jensen
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 82 | Number 5 | July 2026 | Pages 956-963
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2509003
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The velocity interferometer system for any reflector (VISAR) is a key diagnostic at the National Ignition Facility that is used for measuring propagation and velocities of shocks through a sample for several high energy density campaigns. To support simultaneous measurements with VISAR and other diagnostics, optical mirrors are used to divert the VISAR signal off axis from the primary diagnostic line of sight, which can then be used for other measurements. Here we describe our work on investigating issues with these mirrors to support complex new target geometries and signal variance due to system aging and more demanding polling rates. This paper also describes the key mitigation efforts performed to improve both the flatness and reflectivity of these commonly used mirrors.