![A group of smiling people, some standing and others seated, in front of a screen displaying the word "ignition" in a conference room.](https://massmec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/1448835979-150x150.jpg)
Tammy Ma is a plasma physicist for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the largest and most energetic laser in the world. This past week, Tammy Ma was informed that an experiment at the facility had just a massive breakthrough in nuclear fusion. Scientists have been trying to achieve this breakthrough for decades. At 1:03 AM….