Universe-probing laser becomes most powerful in world
Wednesday, 09 Apr 2008 16:10
The laser will help to explore elements of the universe
A Texas-based laser designed to help study the far reaches of the universe has become the highest-powered laser in the world.
The Texas Petawatt laser passed the milestone after reaching greater than one petawatt of laser power.
When the laser is turned on it has the power output of more than 2,000 times the output of all power plants in the United States.
It is brighter than sunlight on the surface of the sun but only lasts for an instant - a tenth of a trillionth of a second (0.0000000000001 second).
Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin will use the laser to create and study matter at some of the most extreme conditions in the universe.
They say this will allow them to explore astronomical phenomena in miniature, including supernovas, stars and brown dwarfs.
"We can learn about these large astronomical objects from tiny reactions in the lab because of the similarity of the mathematical equations that describe the events," said Todd Ditmire, director of the Texas Centre for High-Intensity Laser Science.
