It's a golden year for lasers

It's a golden year for lasers: "

Berkeley Lab

Wim Leemans of Berkeley Lab's Accelerator and Fusion Research Division works on a 40-terawatt laser that could blaze a trail for a new breed of particle accelerator.

Fifty years after the first laser was demonstrated, engineers are celebrating the golden anniversary, marveling over how a once-feared 'death ray' now touches almost every aspect of our lives, and setting the stage for future breakthroughs.

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