ZEUS Laser: Michigan's 2-Petawatt Powerhouse Shatters US Records

The University of Michigan's ZEUS laser facility has achieved a groundbreaking milestone, reaching 2 petawatts (2 quadrillion watts) in its first official experiment, making it the most powerful laser in the U.S. While this immense power—over 100 times the global electricity output—lasts only for a fleeting 25 quintillionths of a second, its applications are vast, spanning medicine, national security, materials science, astrophysics, and more. As a user facility, ZEUS welcomes research teams from across the globe to submit proposals. The laser employs innovative techniques to generate high-energy electron beams and is poised for a landmark experiment later this year, aiming to reach zettawatt-scale pulses.