NIF will use inertial containment to enable scientists to study nuclear fusion and other processes involving extremely dense plasmas. The concept uses multiple high-powered lasers to compress a deuterium-tritium (D+T) fuel pellet to densities of up to 1000 grams per cubic centimeter, over 6 times the density of the centre of the Sun.
This is predicted to achieve self-sustaining nuclear fusion reactions, or ignition. NIF is expected to be funded and completed by the early part of next decade.