Physicists at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory just created a petawatt laser beam with the highest peak power and current ever. This beam was formed from a bunch of electrons that were ...

These facilities enable dense flashes of gamma rays through colliding laser pulses, simulating astrophysical conditions. Recent advances in micrometer-scale structured plasma targets have further ...

"The gamma-ray burst traveled through intergalactic space at the speed of light for eleven billion years, during which time the Sun and the planets were born." — Timothy Ferris, in the film ...

Pictured is the compressor for generating the ultrahigh-intensity laser pulses required for the project. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases ...

"StarBurst represents a significant leap forward in gamma-ray astronomy," said Richard S. Woolf, Ph.D., research physicist with NRL's Space Science Division. "Our team at NRL has drawn upon years ...