World's most powerful laser.World's most powerful laser Ten arms join together to make up Nova, the world's most powerful laser, which was dedicated recently at the Lawrence Livermore Lawrence Livermore may refer to:
Nova is a neodymium-glass laser with a fundamental wavelength in the near infrared (1.05 micrometers). The infrared can be converted to green (0.53 micrometer micrometer (mīkrŏm`ətər, mī`krōmē'tər). 1 Instrument used for measuring extremely small distances. ) or blue (0.35 micrometer) by passage through arrays of potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystals. Through an arrangement with mirrors, Nova's arms can concentrate between 80 and 120 kilojoules of energy (in 3 nanoseconds) or between 80 and 120 terawatts of power (in a 100-picosecond pulse) on pinhead-sized targets of deuterium deuterium (d  tēr`ēəm), isotope of hydrogen with mass no. 2. The deuterium nucleus, called a deuteron, contains one proton and one neutron. and tritium tritium (trĭt`ēəm), radioactive isotope of hydrogen with mass number 3. The tritium nucleus, called a triton, contains one proton and two neutrons. It has a half-life of 12.5 years and decays by beta-particle emission. . Nova will be used in weapons simulation studies and in a program aimed at peaceful use of thermonuclear ther·mo·nu·cle·ar adj. 1. Of, relating to, or derived from the fusion of atomic nuclei at high temperatures: thermonuclear reactions. 2. power. Construction of Nova took eight years and cost $176 million. According to a Livermore announcement it surpasses all previous lasers in power and wavelength flexibility. Experiments are expected to start in the summer. |
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