ILLUMA-T could help pave the way for more efficient communications between Earth and distant destinations like Mars. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Dozens of times over the last decade NASA scientists have launched laser beams at a reflector the size of a paperback novel about 240,000 miles (385,000 kilometers) away from Earth. They announced ...

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The big picture: With its first 2-petawatt experiment successfully completed, ZEUS is poised to push the boundaries of high-field science, providing researchers with a powerful new tool for discovery ...

For experiments that require ultra-precise measurements and control over atoms—think two-photon atomic clocks, cold-atom interferometer sensors and quantum gates—lasers are the technology of choice, ...

In the experiment, a high-power green laser passed through a ruby cube, illuminated from the side by a blue laser. The green laser increased the ruby’s absorption of the blue light, creating a darker ...

The properties of dense helium (He) — which happens to be a principal constituent of giant gas planets like Jupiter — at thermodynamic conditions between those of condensed matter and high-temperature ...

Experts at the BELLA Center used dual laser beams focused onto a sheet of gas to reach a milestone energy in laser-driven electron acceleration. Four members of the larger team gathered with the ...

The ZEUS laser facility at the University of Michigan has roughly doubled the peak power of any other laser in the U.S. with its first official experiment at 2 petawatts (2 quadrillion watts). At more ...