Laser Megajoule laser beam simulation. This 3D simulation shows imperfection in one of the laser beams used in the Laser Megajoule (LMJ). The LMJ is an experimental nuclear fusion device being built near Bordeaux, France, using the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) method. It uses 240 laser beams and 1.8 megajoules of power to heat a target to the point where fusion and power generation occurs. Each beam measures 40 by 40 centimetres but will be focused on an area 50 thousandth of a millimetre across for 0.003 billionth of a second. Construction of the LMJ is scheduled for completion in 2012. Photographed at the Le Barp facility of the French Atomic Agency (CEA).