back to article World-beating TWO-QUADRILLION-WATT LASER fired by boffins

Nuclear fusion researchers at Osaka University in Japan claim they have made history by firing the world's most powerful laser – emitting a two-quadrillion-watt beam albeit for a very, very brief period of time. The two-petawatt beam was formed using the huge LFEX (Laser for Fast ignition EXperiments) system developed by the …

  1. Your alien overlord - fear me

    100m long - how's Luke going to battle the dark side with something so unweildly?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      To be fair I don't think he needs that much power to take on those foes.

    2. Nuno

      Using sharks, obviously...

    3. Sandtitz Silver badge

      100m?

      "I see your Schwartz is as big as mine. Now let's see how well you handle it."

  2. DocJD

    Not much to fight with

    The amount of energy in one burst is about the same as hitting someone with a baseball bat. (Maybe with a cricket bat also, but I've never seen one and have no idea what they might mass.)

  3. Stoneshop
    Go

    LFEX was finished last year, is about 100 metres long,

    So they need to work a bit on growing bigger sharks. Which shouldn't be too difficult, after all, Godzilla came from Japan too.

  4. Mark 85

    Oh dear...

    The "N" word and a laser beam... I can hear the screams of all the anti-nuke crowd now.

    But it pretty cool if they can figure this out and get it to work.

    1. wobbly1

      Re: Oh dear...

      Most anti-nukes understand the difference between fusion and fission.

      1. John Robson Silver badge

        Re: Oh dear...

        They really don't

        see the renaming of NMR to MRI as evidence...

  5. saif

    A fry up or a fusion meal?

    2kJ = number of calories in 1/2 portion of Fish and Chips

    Now just need aworkout to burn that up in a pisosecond

    1. Chris Miller

      Re: A fry up or a fusion meal?

      Food calories are 'large' calories (kilocalories), so this is about half a calorie (if you're watching that waistline).

      For your further scientific edification, boffins (to use the ElReg approved terminology) can now produce lasers from bacon (almost).

    2. Eddy Ito

      Re: A fry up or a fusion meal?

      Yes 2 kJ isn't very much as it will only warm your pint about one degree but consider that a 5.56 mm NATO round starts its journey with about 1.7 to 1.8 kJ. Given the surface area this energy is likely focused on, it's going to leave a mark.

  6. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Ugotta B. Kiddingme

      Re: NOW your talking!

      now my talking what, exactly?

  7. <shakes head>

    hair removal

    as above

  8. Elmer Phud
    Boffin

    Pure Science!

    If a device fails to start up the way it ought to -- hit the bugger harder!

  9. AceRimmer1980
    Thumb Up

    We're gonna need

    a bigger shark..

    1. TonyJ

      Re: We're gonna need

      "We're gonna need

      a bigger shark.."

      Oh great. The newest arms race.

      Bigger shark...bigger boat...even bigger shark...warship...where will it end??

      1. launcap Silver badge

        Re: We're gonna need

        > Bigger shark...bigger boat...even bigger shark...warship...where will it end??

        Dreadnaught?

        1. Bluto Nash

          Re: We're gonna need

          Sharknado!

          1. Robert Helpmann??
            Childcatcher

            Re: We're gonna need

            It's turtles all the way down!*

            *You will have to click through to get the joke.**

            **No, I won't ruin it by explaining it.

  10. TimR

    ...and will be used to develop a "fast ignition" fusion reactor:

    Hopefully not too fast...

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This should wake the buggers up

    When I use it conjunction with my next powerpoint presentation

  12. W3dge

    Anyone know how much energy they had to input?

  13. NanoMeter

    When it comes to lasers

    Evil use will always triumph because Good use is dumb!

  14. Dr. G. Freeman

    Points laser pointer at the back of boss' head....

    pick up phone "Hello Osaka, can I borrow your new laser ?"

    A man can dream.

  15. Graham Marsden
    Coat

    "you're not going to be blowing up any planets with LFEX"

    I find your lack of faith disturbing...

    (Mine's the long black cape)

  16. Evil Auditor Silver badge

    Yes yes... but does it do pew?

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What's this in IDSUs? (Imperial Death Star Units)

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    But..

    Yeah, that's nice, but we also want the ability to destroy an asteroid, or an alien invader.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re. But..

    Destroy? Punching a few holes in it then dropping a nuke down each might do the job, has no-one seen "Armageddon" ?

  20. Andus McCoatover
    Windows

    You'll recall from school that a watt is a joule per second

    Other way around?

    1. MajorTom

      Re: You'll recall from school that a watt is a joule per second

      Right, so Watts x Seconds gives you Joules, as in the article.

  21. Elfo74
    Alert

    100m

    "100m long - how's Luke going to battle the dark side with something so unweildly?"

    Well, I can think of one way: https://xkcd.com/1433/

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