U.S. Fires World's Most Powerful Laser — With a Power of Two Quadrillion Watts, One Hundred Times Greater Than All the Electricity Consumption on the Planet

U.S. Fires World’s Most Powerful Laser — With a Power of Two Quadrillion Watts, One Hundred Times Greater Than All the Electricity Consumption on the Planet

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 20/05/2025 at 11:08

John Nees (à esquerda) e o engenheiro de laser Paul Campbell (à direita) trabalham na Área Alvo 1, onde ocorrerá o primeiro experimento de usuário de 2 petawatts. O ZEUS é agora o laser mais potente dos EUA.

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ZEUS Laser System at the University of Michigan Reaches Two Petawatts of Power in a Light Pulse Lasting Just Quintillionths of a Second, Surpassing Any Other Ever Made in the U.S.

A light pulse lasting just a fraction of a second was enough to break records and pave the way for new scientific discoveries.

The ZEUS, laser system from the University of Michigan, achieved unprecedented power in the United States: two petawatts, equivalent to two quadrillion watts.

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During this brief moment, its energy was one hundred times greater than the entire electrical consumption of the planet.

This achievement represents a new milestone in high-field physics studies in the U.S. According to Professor Karl Krushelnick, director of the Gérard Mourou Center for Ultrafast Optics Science, this advancement opens the door to previously unexplored experiments.

Power of a New Level

ZEUS operates with ultrashort pulses, lasting only a few quintillionths of a second. Even in this short time frame, its power is sufficient to conduct studies in areas such as medicine, national security, materials science, quantum physics, and astrophysics.

With a size comparable to that of a school gymnasium, the facility features 60 cm thick concrete walls to contain radiation.

ZEUS is the successor to the HERCULES laser, which reached a maximum of 300 terawatts. Now, with its two petawatts of peak power, ZEUS nearly doubles the capacity of its predecessors.

Accelerating Particles on an Unprecedented Scale

The structure of ZEUS includes a longer gas cell filled with helium. When the laser pulse hits the gas, plasma is formed. This plasma contains free electrons, which are accelerated to extreme speeds using a method known as wakefield acceleration.

The choice of a smaller and more extensive target allows the electrons to remain in the path of the laser for a longer time. As a result, they reach unprecedented speed levels.

The goal is that later this year, the electrons will collide head-on with a laser pulse in the opposite direction, with a power of 3 petawatts. This collision will simulate interactions on a zettawatt scale, justifying the system’s name: ZEUS.

Leading Research and Medical Application

The project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is open to researchers from across the country. The first user experiment will be led by Professor Franklin Dollar’s team from the University of California.

The focus will be on producing beams of energy comparable to those of large particle accelerators, which typically span hundreds of meters. With this, results 5 to 10 times higher than previous ones are expected.

During his doctoral research, Dollar had already used the HERCULES system to capture images of a dragonfly.

This experiment demonstrated that it is possible to generate X-ray pulses similar to lasers for low-dose imaging, useful for observing soft tissues.

According to Vyacheslav Lukin, director of the NSF program responsible for ZEUS, the research has significant applications. Among them are new imaging generation methods and technological advancements for cancer treatments and other diseases.

The ZEUS system represents an investment of US$ 16 million. More than just a number, it is a bet on scientific advancement with a direct impact on multiple areas of knowledge and society.

19 Comments

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Carlos

#138891

28/05/2025 09:24

Uma ****… A matéria é inrteressante, mas a quantidade de propaganda é ridiculamente maior que o que se pode ler… Ruim demais

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Carlos Gabriel(@gabrielmorim81)

#137731

23/05/2025 08:27

Incrível, parabéns pelo trabalho.👏

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Edmilson Marques

#137535

22/05/2025 18:34

A inovação sempre será a força motriz da ciência 🔭

Respond

U.S. Fires World’s Most Powerful Laser — With a Power of Two Quadrillion Watts, One Hundred Times Greater Than All the Electricity Consumption on the Planet

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U.S. Fires World’s Most Powerful Laser — With a Power of Two Quadrillion Watts, One Hundred Times Greater Than All the Electricity Consumption on the Planet

ZEUS Laser System at the University of Michigan Reaches Two Petawatts of Power in a Light Pulse Lasting Just Quintillionths of a Second, Surpassing Any Other Ever Made in the U.S.

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