China is building a mega-laser that's so powerful it could literally tear space apart.
Physicists in Shanghai are constructing what they call a 'Station of Extreme Light', which could be operational as soon as 2023.
The end goal is to create a laser so powerful it can produce 100-petawatt laser pulses –that's 100 million billion watts.
For context, that's 10,000 times the power of all the world's electrical grids combined.
These ludicrously powerful pulses could be targeted at incredible precise spots measuring just three micrometers across – that's 2000 times less than the thickness of a standard pencil.
This means the researchers could achieve a laser intensity 10 trillion trillion times greater than the sunlight striking earth.
According to the Science journal, this laser would be so powerful it "could rip apart empty space".
The idea is to achieve a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum", whereby electrons are torn away from positrons (their antimatter counterparts) in the empty vacuum of space.
Right now, it's possible to convert matter into huge amounts of heat and light, as proved by nuclear weapons. But reversing the process is more difficult – although Chinese physicist Ruxin Li believes his laser could manage it.
"That would be very exciting. It would mean you could generate something from nothing," he explained.
The team has already created a less powerful version called the Shanghai Superintense Ultrafast Laser, which is capable of a 5.3-petawatt pulse.
If the new laser eventually becomes operational, it could give scientists a new way to accelerate particles for advanced physics research.
China is building a laser 10 trillion times more intense than the Sun that could tear space apart
Discussion in 'Other News' started by Chinatown, Feb 2, 2018.
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I'm not stupid and want to be prepared so as soon as I read this article, I immediately ordered new suglasses so I'll be ready!MagnumaMoose and tucker Thank this. -
My vague understanding is that even in an empty vacuum Positive and Negative 'Virtual Particles' constantly emerge and annihilate each other. It sounds like this will interrupt that process.
This could be very valuable for Physics as well and learning about this strange process of matter creation.Chinatown Thanks this. -
Recently declassified video from it's beta testing phase in late 2017
Last edited: Feb 2, 2018
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You have to wonder if they pirated this tech from us or someone else or developed it on their own .
Not that it matters much , they have it now , I’m always suspicious of the real reasons for these huge projects , I doubt they are for pure science and tend to believe they are military -
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Sounds a bit like magic? Or using unicorns to make that power? Seems very illogical. Being we on earth are not able to produce the power we need at our current state.
Also why is CERN not doing this? -
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But can it cut through their smog?
Steel Dragon Thanks this.
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