Today’s Petawatt Lasers: Pushing the Boundaries of Science & Technology
It was a remarkable scientific breakthrough. The big news happened in late 2022 when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a fusion ignition for the first time in history. Through firing extremely powerful petawatt lasers at a target, the experiment at Livermore produced more energy from the fusion reaction than the energy they started with. This historic achievement was made possible through the use of petawatt lasers, supported by flashlamps (like ones manufactured by APT), and may open the door to a clean energy future. Since the first ignition, scientists have successfully repeated the experiment multiple times.
One petawatt is equal to more than a quadrillion watts, which is more powerful than the entire electrical generating capacity of the U.S.! While their usefulness in achieving nuclear fusion is certainly among the more fascinating applications of these lasers, they are also receiving attention in various other fields, including:
Labs are planning to use petawatt lasers in the study of cancer treatments such as proton therapy, an ion acceleration therapy that uses protons instead of x-rays to destroy cancer cells.
Petawatt lasers are utilized for particle acceleration, inertial confinement fusion, and for secondary source generation (x-rays, electrons, protons, neutrons and ions), which are used in the study of astrophysics.
Petawatt class lasers are also used in the research of gamma rays for industrial applications.
With these exciting developments in the world of laser technologies, we are proud to say that Applied Photon Technology (APT) develops this cutting-edge equipment delivering powerful, high-quality flashlamps for use in petawatt laser systems that enable scientific advancement and new commercial applications opening the door to tomorrow’s innovations and scientific discoveries. For further details, contact us here.