Many people know X-rays, have heard of infrared light, some have used laser treatment, and some are worried about the burning of ultraviolet light, but, do you know what is a super-strong ultra-short laser pointer? What kind of light is it? Where did it come from? How bright is it? Can the super-strong ultra-short laser serve us like a medical laser?
Let us take a look below. What is an ultra-strong ultra-short laser? Ultra-strong ultra-short laser is actually a laser with a peak power greater than 1 terawatt (10 ^ 12 watts) and a pulse width less than 100 femtoseconds (10 ^ -15 seconds). Its emergence provides humans with unprecedented extreme physical conditions and new Experimental means. So far, the extreme conditions of high energy density and even ultra-high energy density that can only be found in the stars or at the edge of black holes in nature can be manufactured in the laboratory.
At present, the highest light intensity achieved by laser focusing has reached the order of 10 ^ 22 W / cm2. In addition, this ultra-strong light field is extremely ultra-fast in the time domain. In the ultra-violet (XUV) band, the ultra-fast time scale of laser pulses has exceeded femtoseconds (fs, 10 ^ -15 seconds) and entered attoseconds (As, 10 ^ -18 seconds) New category.
What is the concept of such a large light intensity? It should be known that the strongest light intensity in nature, such as the gamma-ray burst in the universe, corresponds to a light intensity of the order of 10 ^ 20 W / cm2, and the light intensity of 10 ^ 21 W / cm2 is approximately equal to that received by the earth. The total solar radiation is focused on the scale of hair thickness.
In addition, what is more important is that the ultra-strong and ultra-short red laser pointer is currently at the critical stage of making major scientific and technological breakthroughs and developing major applications. The focus intensity of the laser may exceed 10 ^ 23 W / cm2 in the next five years or so Even higher ultra-high orders, while the time-domain contrast of laser pulses may reach 10 ^ 9-12. The research and development of ultra-strong ultra-short lasers are the latest development frontiers and key areas of competition in international high-tech laser technology. As the "Science" article pointed out, "This work will affect every research, from fusion to astrophysics."