US researchers developing laser more powerful than all of Earth's power stations combined

Mail online ^ | 5 February 2014 | MARK PRIGG

[12th_Monkey]

It will be the most powerful laser ever created, and could give researchers incredible new insights into how the cosmos was created. Called the High-Repetition-Rate Advanced Petawatt Laser System (HAPLS), it will emit 100,000 times more power than all the power stations in the world - for a tiny fraction of a second. It has even been nicknamed the Death Star laser for its similarity to Darth Vader's laser wielding base in Star Wars.

he Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) Beamlines project is an EU-funded lab being developed with experts from around the world, including Lawrence Livermore lab in the US, and being built in the Czech Republic. Due to be switched on by 2017, it will emit a short laser burst with an intensity of 1023 watts per square centimeter. 'ELI will become the first international laser research facility, much like a ‘CERN for laser research’, hosting some of the world’s most powerful lasers enabling a new era of unique research opportunities for users from all countries,' said Professor Wolfgang Sandner, director general of the ELI-Delivery Consortium International Association (AIBSL)

'HAPLS’s high repetition rate will make possible new scientific discoveries,' said Livermore physicist and HAPLS project manager Constantin Haefner. 'While scientists have long performed experiments with powerful single-shot lasers, they have never had an opportunity to repeat experiments at 10 times per second.'

HAPLS will deliver ultrashort, high-energy laser pulses for generating secondary sources of electromagnetic radiation (such as high-brightness x rays) and accelerating charged particles (electrons, protons, or ions). The laser technology will enable many applications in physics, medicine, biology, and materials science.

[dfwgator]

[12th_Monkey]

unless Obama issues an executive order tell it to produce more than put in.

[12th_Monkey]

One million dollars..

[katana]

Ten to the twenty third (watts)

OK, that is a lot of power. Thanks for clarifying and for demonstrating once more how utterly ignorant journalists really are.

[Conan the Librarian]

First thing I thought of.

I loved that movie...specially the dark haired chick that never slept.

[Turbopilot]

I’m betting they meant 10^23 watts per square centimeter.

If it’s more powerful than all the power generating plants in the world combined, where do they get the power to run it? :-p

[EQAndyBuzz]

HAPLS...

Hapless?

[minnesota_bound]

Wind turbines and solar panels will power this laser.

[BlueDragon]

If it’s more powerful than all the power generating plants in the world combined, where do they get the power to run it?

if they told you...they would have to...

[dangerdoc]

Alien power plant stored at Area 51, like you had to ask.

[Dalberg-Acton]

I recognize bullsh!t when I see it.

[reed13k]

Obviously the input will be more than the output as there will be losses in the system. The idea of a laser is that you pump power in over time and the light in layman terms bounces back and forth building up then it’s all released at once... it’s all the energy at once on the release that they are referring to. Since there is a time diff between input and output they can use a smaller source on the goes in side..

[12th_Monkey]

Oh Snap! your right