For just 25 quintillionths of a second, the ZEUS laser at the University of Michigan became the most powerful laser ever fired in the United States, delivering a staggering 2 petawatts of power. That brief pulse generated more than 100 times the electricity output of the entire planet, marking a bold leap forward in American high field science.
The Zettawatt Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System, housed at the Gerard Mourou Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, roughly doubled the peak power of any other laser in the country. In its inaugural 2 petawatt experiment, ZEUS fired a laser pulse into a chamber filled with helium gas, stripping electrons from atoms to create plasma. The electrons then accelerated behind the laser pulse through a technique called wakefield acceleration, reaching velocities near the speed of light.
Later this year, ZEUS will conduct its signature experiment by colliding those accelerated electrons with a second laser beam traveling in the opposite direction. From the perspective of those near light speed electrons, the apparent laser power will reach zettawatt scale, equivalent to conditions found in black hole jets and gamma ray bursts. This allows scientists to recreate cosmic scale phenomena right here on Earth.
Beyond astrophysics, ZEUS promises practical applications in medicine, including advanced cancer treatments and improved soft tissue imaging. The National Science Foundation funded facility operates as a user center, awarding experiment time to research teams nationwide. At just 16 million dollars to build, ZEUS delivers particle accelerator level energies in a gymnasium sized space, making cutting edge physics far more accessible.
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