It might look like something out of a nightclub, but this so-called Wide-angle Optical Multi-channel Probe is straight from the research halls of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
You’d be entitled to ask why they were in possession of such a piece of kit. So here’s a brief explanation of what it can do:
This specialised laser instrument allows Los Alamos scientists to perform sophisticated nuclear experiments and gather significant amounts of data without a critical mass of plutonium. The data is used to help validate the extremely complex computer codes that reside on the laboratory’s world class supercomputers. These codes along with thousands of experiments conducted across the laboratory allow Laboratory staff and ultimately the Director to assess the state and health of the Nation’s nuclear deterrent and report those findings ultimately to the President of the United States.
And if you want know more about the safety, reliability, and performance of the Los Alamos-designed nuclear bombs and warheads, you can read more here. [LANL]