The University of Michigan has tested a 2 petawatt ZEUS ultra-high-power laser. The laser beam, compressed to a tiny pulse, briefly surpassed the Earth's global energy consumption, instantly turning air into plasma.
ZEUS is the most powerful laser built in the United States. By focusing a 30-centimeter beam to a spot less than one micron in diameter, engineers have achieved an unprecedented concentration of energy.
The researchers' next step will be to increase the power to 3 petawatts. The basis of this breakthrough will be a unique titanium-sapphire crystal with a diameter of 18 centimeters, which took more than four years to create.
Experimenters intend to use a laser to accelerate particles, creating the phenomenon of zettawatt radiation. The project holds great promise for science and technology, including revolutionary approaches to cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The ZEUS laser is available to researchers from around the world, promising breakthroughs in particle physics, astrophysics and biotechnology.
Earlier, scientists from Novosibirsk will create a laser system for Chinese spacecraft.