21-05-2025
University of Michigan researchers develop nation's most powerful laser
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed the nation's most powerful laser.
The latest design has nearly doubled the peak power of any other laser in the country. The team recently conducted its first successful experiment measured at 2 petawatts — 2 quadrillion watts — which is more than 100 times the global electricity output.
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That giant number is matched with something almost equally as small. The power surge is an extremely brief pulse, lasting just 25 quintillionths of a second.
The laser, known as the Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser system or , is managed by U-M's and supported by the National Science Foundation.
Karl Krushelnick, the director of the CUOS, said this latest milestone 'marks the beginning of experiments that move into unexplored territory for American high field science.'
Researchers expect the advancements could be applied to several different fields, including medicine, national security and astrophysics.
Since it is supported by the NSF, research teams from all over the world can submit experiment proposals for ZEUS. Franklin Dollar, a professor at the University of California-Irvine, is set to lead an experiment at the new power level.
'One of the great things about ZEUS is it's not just one big laser hammer. You can split the light into multiple beams,' he said in a . 'Having a national resource like this, which awards time to users whose experimental concepts are most promising for advancing scientific priorities, is really bringing high-intensity laser science back to the U.S.'
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CUOS says 'the road to 2 petawatts' has been a long one. The previous laser system, HERCULES, got up to 300 terawatts. ZEUS helped them jump to 1 petawatt. The ZEUS team has already spent more than a year running experiments at that level.
ZEUS requires many special pieces to make it work, including a 7-inch sapphire crystal that is infused with titanium atoms. ZEUS project manager Franko Bayer says they are already working on another one that will help them get even stronger.
'The crystal that we're going to get in the summer will get us to 3 petawatts, and it took four-and-a-half years to manufacture,' Bayer said in the blog post. 'The size of the titanium sapphire crystal we have, there are only a few in the world.'
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