World's Most Powerful Laser Fired By American Scientists In Pursuit Of Fusion Ignition

Target Positioner: Before each experiment, a positioner precisely centers the target inside the target chamber and serves as a reference to align the laser beams.

We've just come one step closer to a fully-operational Death Star.

Scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have fired the most powerful laser shot in the history of the world, setting the record with 1.875 MJ of energy. The historic March 15 firing was just 23 billionths of a second long, but generated 411 trillion watts of peak power.

That's 1,000 times more than the entire United States uses at any given instant, according to a media release from the laboratory.

But the record power didn't stop at 1.875 MJ. According to the lab's media release, the energy produced by NIF actually hit 2.03 MJ before reaching the final chamber, making the ultraviolet laser the world's first to achieve 2 MJ of energy and 100 times more powerful than any similar laser currently in operation.

“It’s a remarkable demonstration of the laser from the standpoint of its energy, its precision, its power, and its availability,” NIF Director Ed Moses told Nature.

The shot not only surpassed the world record, but beat the lab's expectations.

According to Nature, the test chamber was only designed for a 1.8 MJ output. Despite the high output, the experiment also did less damage to the laser optics system than expected, allowing the team to perform a second firing just 36 hours later.

The incredible power generated is working towards more than simply the greatest laser pointer of all time, but it isn't intended for military purposes either. Sorry, Star Wars fans. Instead, the NIF is attempting to ignite a fusion reaction, which would be a first for mankind.

In this round of testing, the laser wasn't aimed at a specific target -- which would be required in any attempt to create a fusion reaction -- though that is the eventual goal.

Prior to this test, the NIF was only able to create aproximately 1.6 MJ of energy, though now that they've surpassed their goal of 1.8 MJ, the process for achieving fusion may be reevaluated.

From Nature:

Moses declined to say when he will test the 1.875-megajoule capability on a target, but he says that the extra energy will allow more leeway in target designs.

Of course, the paving the way toward fusion isn't the only scientific use for lasers these days, and different experiments could mean the NIF's record won't last long.

According to the Telegraph, the Extreme Light Infrastructure Ultra-High Field Facility, the construction location of which is still being bid on by a number of European countries, aims to create a laser with enough power to "rip the fabric of space" and discover the inner workings of the universe.

AMAZING PHOTOS: BUILDING THE LASER FACILITY

Loading Slideshow

• Target Chamber Installation

  In June 1999, after careful preparation, a rotating crane hoisted the target chamber and gently moved it to the Target Bay, a breathtaking event that took only about 30 minutes. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• NIF Target Chamber

  The target chamber under construction. Holes in the target chamber provide access for the laser beams and viewing ports for NIF diagnostic equipment. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• Target Chamber Installation

  After the target chamber was lowered into place, the seven-story walls and roof of the Target Bay were completed. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• NIF Target Chamber

  This view from the bottom of the chamber shows the target positioner being inserted. Pulses from NIF's high-powered lasers race toward the Target Bay at the speed of light. They arrive at the center of the target chamber within a few trillionths of a second of each other, aligned to the accuracy of the diameter of a human hair. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• Target Positioner

  Before each experiment, a positioner precisely centers the target inside the target chamber and serves as a reference to align the laser beams. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• NIF Target

  A NIF target contains a polished capsule about two millimeters in diameter, filled with cryogenic (super-cooled) hydrogen fuel. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• NIF Target Chamber

  A service system lift allows technicians to access the target chamber interior for inspection and maintenance Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• Target Chamber Viewing Window

  A new viewing window recently installed on the NIF Target Chamber will allow members of the NIF team and visitors to see inside the chamber while it is vacuum-sealed for experiments. Installation of the viewing window was one of the many tasks performed by the NIF team during the spring 2011 facility maintenance and reconfiguration (FMR) period. During the FMR period, new diagnostic capabilities were added, controls system software was updated, and laser performance improvements were implemented. In the photo, NIF Team members Bruno Van Wonterghem (left), Jim Nally (pointing) and Rod Saunders watch through the viewing window as the Final Optics Damage Inspection System is deployed. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• Precision Robotic Assembly Machine

  NIF's millimeter-sized targets must be designed and fabricated to meet precise specifications for density, concentricity and surface smoothness for NIF experiments. LLNL scientists and engineers like Richard Montesanti (pictured) have developed a precision robotic assembly machine to manufacture the small and complex fusion ignition targets. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Comments

[Chinguunjav Wingard]

02:32 PM on 03/26/2012

can energy from the laser be captured?

[JackWhistle]

05:39 PM on 03/26/2012

I'm sure if you shot it at a solar panel, you'd get something before it burned out.
Of course, if they can get this laser to start a fusion chain reaction, the energy the laser puts out will be nothing over the long term.
Now, you could probably use powerful lasers to transfer power from space solar panels to earth solar panels.Don't really know why one wouldn't. Except politics.

[Chinguunjav Wingard]

06:50 PM on 03/26/2012

Well I figure it'd be one way to transfer energy without wires, but it doesn't sound like it'd be efficient enough.

[play7ball47]

09:31 AM on 03/25/2012

It's Spidy vs Doc Ock time. Ohhhhhhhhh Noooooooo Mr Bill.

[SeptimusDSX]

09:30 AM on 03/25/2012

It is a bit misleading because the laser is pulsed. I wonder what is the highest wattage CW (continuous wave) laser they have?

[play7ball47]

09:18 AM on 03/25/2012

Since Huff n puff elected to NOT post my question yesterday, I will ask again. I am wondering what this machine can be used for? I really want to know. I imagine a pile of money was invested in it's construction and I would seriously like to know what it can be used to do? Can it be used to deflect a near earth space object, or to drill a hole through a mountain or what? Is the power that can be generated from it totally controllable or can it run away and destroy things around it. Lay person wants to know.

[wmad]

12:07 AM on 03/26/2012

They're trying to achieve fusion. Ignoring that, does everything have to have practical application? I understand stuff costs money, but I'm one for scientific achievement for the sake of scientific achievement.

[play7ball47]

10:46 AM on 03/26/2012

I bet you get along good with G. W. and obamalamadingdong. Spend, spend spend and then spend a little more and what for? No one knows, but let's do it anyway. Makes total sense to me, not.

[ironhead387]

03:57 AM on 03/28/2012

It is being used to find out if we can use fusion power safely to create electricity which would be clean power because it is not using coal or uranium to produce the electricity but clean and harmless to the environment hydrogen which we have in abundance. I'd also like to thank you because I spent 2 years working on the construction of this project. It was the best job I ever had and my proudest achievement in 37 years in the construction industry

[play7ball47]

08:40 AM on 03/28/2012

ironhead, thank you for a great answer (without insults) to my question and for your work on this important project. It was so difficult to get a straight answer from those who think they are better than everyone. I greatly appreciate you shooting me a straight answer. F&F for your efforts. You are a good human and very intelligent. Thanks again.

[lordgamble]

01:41 AM on 03/25/2012

Don't worry. Obama will kill this too because they don't kick back to his campaign like Solyndra and GM did/do.

[king of prussian]

01:01 PM on 03/24/2012

Fusion is the future of the human race. Fission is too messy. Fossil fuels are WAY too messy and unsustainable. Solar and wind energies are clean and sustainable, but they are the energy equivalent of giving a man a shot of water after crossing the Sahara. Everything but fusion is fine for the short term, but not long term, unless of course we agree on a Malthusian catastrophe occurring.

[jondekonkeroo]

01:45 AM on 03/24/2012

interesting laser experiment. sort of like creating hawking radiation for a measurable interval. that's fascinating.

[JackWhistle]

05:52 PM on 03/26/2012

*inhaaaaaale!!!* NEEERRD!!..
*cough*

[jondekonkeroo]

05:57 PM on 03/26/2012

too greedy, cheech?

[JackWhistle]

05:52 PM on 03/26/2012

:) but seriously that was over my head.

[jondekonkeroo]

06:00 PM on 03/26/2012

hawking radiation is half of feymann quantum foam. the other half is on the event horizon of a black hole and disappears into it. the qf is the spontaneous creation and annihilation of particles and anti particles that is vacuum in this universe.

this separates quantum foam so the particles can be assessed just like on the event horizon. not just like, but similarly. it makes the quantum particles hang around momentarily and not annihilate one another.

[canon940]

11:04 PM on 03/23/2012

The statement "create a laser with enough power to "rip the fabric of space" and discover the inner workings of the universe." What??? What if we rip it open and find out that it shouldn't heve been opened because of the monster we have let out?

Science can create wonderful technologies that make our lives safer, more confortable and it creates answers for many of our ills. But, what is "going too far"? Will we have to pay a big price for our curiousity?

[Sam Debater]

12:20 AM on 03/24/2012

First, they subject us to potential annihilation from black holes at CERN, now they are going to tear apart the fabric of space. What diabolical scheme will they think of next? Resurrecting Disco?

[palindrom]

11:18 AM on 03/24/2012

"..., potential annihilation from black holes at CERN ...."

Cosmic-rays are often much more energetic than the particles at CERN. After billions of years, they haven't created a world-eating black hole.

[JackWhistle]

06:01 PM on 03/26/2012

Until the Flying Spaghetti Monster (F.S.M.) imparts unto all pasta the sign of the Uncheesed times (Armageddon, Ragnarok, what have you), I suggest we simply keep our eyes glued to our plates, and pray for meatballs.

[canon940]

06:51 PM on 03/26/2012

Fair enough. We will wait for December 21st.

[cheapsuitdan]

10:22 PM on 03/23/2012

who gets the electric bill... or is it just siphoned off the top?

[eltrip]

02:41 PM on 03/24/2012

Hope they had a 'smart meter' on that outlet.

[cheapsuitdan]

04:44 PM on 03/24/2012

Me thinks the meter was removed during construction

[ironhead387]

05:20 AM on 03/28/2012

I would say us the taxpayers as it is a government facility. The do have their own powerhouse onsite.

[ironhead387]

09:26 PM on 03/23/2012

I'm really proud of this article. I worked for 2 years on this project It was the best job I ever had in a career that spanned 37 years in construction.

[Pale Writer]

10:08 PM on 03/23/2012

Awesome...I am married to a techician working on this project currently. It was exciting to be present at the time of the shot...and the job is rewarding as much as it is challenging...or so I am told. Best to you in your future endeavors!

[Sam Debater]

12:08 AM on 03/24/2012

I have mixed feelings. I'm glad to see the advance in science, but I regret that my career as a laser tech went nowhere. I earned an AAS in LEOT in 1992, but only got a single laser tech job, at a company that was in the process of transferring its equipment after having been bought out.

[ironhead387]

05:23 AM on 03/28/2012

They did have one operational beam while I was working there and did do some test shots. We were working in the target chamber at the time and would have to clear it when they did these tests.

[highrollerjiw]

11:00 PM on 03/23/2012

What's up ironworker!? Local 21 omaha here

[belldn3]

09:22 PM on 03/23/2012

Can it go through an alien spaceship? That's all that matters.

[JackWhistle]

06:05 PM on 03/26/2012

Why are you wasting our time with such drivel!?!
Haven't you been watching television?!
We have real life zombies to worry about!

[belldn3]

07:15 PM on 03/26/2012

I'm sorry, I'll do better next time. He-he.

[Al Schrader]

09:18 PM on 03/23/2012

The fusion that occurs on our Sun is caused by gravitons, not nuclear reactions.
How do I know ? I've done this in my lab in Florida. Owning this technology makes me the wealthiest man on Earth.
You see the center of our Sun is ice cold same as the center of our Earth. How do I know the center of our Earth is ice cold ? I measured it. You see, the center of the Earth is an ice cold
magnetic iron asteroid suspended in an ocean of liquid molten rock. This magnetic iron asteroid is free to move and is why the magnetic poles are shifting. The heating of the inside of the Earth starts at around 35 miles down in a band that goes completely around the Earth. But, the heating stops at a point where the force becomes too weak to crush the protons.
This heating is caused by gravitons....Alfred-

[Angie Cabrera]

09:26 PM on 03/23/2012

Crushing protons? Do you have any idea what you are talking about? Even in a neutron star, the remnants of a supernova, where density is so high that a 1 cubic centimeter chunk would weigh more then every car in the united states here on earth, protons are not "crushed." Fusion is indeed a nuclear process caused by two atoms or protons COMBINING into an element with a higher mass. Two hydrogen atoms COMBINE to form helium. There is a difference in nuclear mass between two protons and helium. This difference is referred to as the "mass defect" and is pure energy usually in the form of gamma rays and heat which powers the sun. When a star the size of ours begins to run out of helium and starts making carbon, thats when it starts to die. Its a battle between the pull of gravity trying to collapse the star and the explosive force trying to push the star apart. No more fuel = gravity wins.

[job60]

02:12 AM on 03/24/2012

Al likes his beer...

[Al Schrader]

05:33 AM on 03/24/2012

I have a lot of ideas, so yes I have an idea. Fusion is a nuclear process. This is not what is occuring on our Sun. You see, protons are made entirely of photon particles.
If you squeeze a proton hard enough, the photons begin to shoot-off in all directions in accord with Einstein's E = mc^2. This effect is not a theory, I've done it in my lab.
Gamma rays, x-rays, heat, light, are all the same photon particle but with different energies and velocities. You can re-combine photon particles back into protons
using a special technology. I'm the first to do this. This is done by "flipping" the formula to mc^2 = E, it works in both directions, trust me, my family is from Einstein's home town....Alfred-

[Katx]

09:13 PM on 03/23/2012

As a laser scientist, I just wanted to clear up one misconception in the article above. It is the most energetic laser, but not the most powerful. Power is energy per unit time, and there are petawatt (1000 trillion watts) lasers out there that deliver less energy overall, but at a faster rate.

[nelandquinten]

09:02 PM on 03/23/2012

I live in Livermore, CA literally under a mile away from the facility. I know people who work there and have spoken to them quite recently. Pretty shocking that I'm just learning about this on HuffPo. Guess they were sworn to secrecy or something like that. Fascinating is the word; just fascinating.

[smald4lib]

08:17 PM on 03/23/2012

Fusion is the future of nuclear power, not fission. Fusion burns all of the energy and leaves little material to dispose of. We don't need any more fission reactors that are more expensive and uninsured then other forms of energy. I would rather have them poor more money into fusion and be the first to do it. The Republicans over the years have cut money to this program.

[lordgamble]

01:26 AM on 03/25/2012

Wrong on several counts. Where as fusion is the future, the future isn't here yet and we need fission to bridge the gap until then. Secondly the material that needs to be disposed of in fission is mostly a result of gov't anti-nuke regs. Thanks to the worthless one, Carter, we can't build a recycling plant for the spent fuel rods. About 75% of the fuel rods could be recycled like they do in England reducing dramatically the amount of material that needs to be disposed. And lastly, it was the Republican held House and Senate under Bush that rewrote the regs on nuke plants that brought about the permit being issued recently, that Obama tried to take credit for, to begin building the first new nuke plant in over 40 years.