The UK has announced plans to build what it calls the world’s most powerful laser. The device is called Vulcan 20-20 and will help scientists understand nuclear fusion, plasma, create renewable energy sources and study electromagnetic fields.
Why is the laser called the most powerful on the planet, and it is said to be. A “million, billion, billion times brighter than sunlight”, So needless to say, this can be a very dangerous technology.
The laser will be built in Oxfordshire and is funded by a new grant that has secured £85 million in funding for the project. It will also be developed by the same team that developed the Vulcan laser, the most powerful laser currently available, the Vulcan 20-20 will reportedly have eight more laser beams for a 20-fold increase in power. It’s also worth noting that one pulse of this laser, which lasts only one trillionth of a second, is more powerful than the entire UK national electricity grid.
As for when the laser will be developed, it will take six years to develop.
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Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
