ZEUS Laser Grand Opening Celebration and Symposium

The National Science Foundation has funded the construction of the 3-petawatt ZEUS laser facility at the University of Michigan. ZEUS, the Zetawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System, will explore the physics where quantum effects alter conventional plasma physics to better understand the extremely violent astrophysical objects in the universe, and it is expected to contribute to new technologies in medicine, electronics, and national security.

ZEUS will operate as a National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored user facility, offering external users experimental access using a merit-based peer-reviewed proposal system to advance science frontiers and enable discovery.

“ZEUS will be the highest peak power laser in the U.S. and among the most powerful laser systems in the world. We’re looking forward to growing the research community and bringing in people with new ideas for experiments and applications,” said Karl Krushelnick, director of the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, which houses ZEUS, and the Henry J. Gomberg Collegiate Professor of Engineering.

Join Michigan Engineering and NSF in celebrating the Grand Opening of the ZEUS laser on Monday, October 16, 2023, at the Ford Library. Featuring remarks from Nobel laureate Gerard Mourou. The day will begin with a Grand Opening Ceremony from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. followed by a Symposium from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Please register your attendance to receive additional information regarding the event.

Symposium Details
Speaker #1: Jonathan Zuegel – Laser and Materials Technology Division Director, and a Distinguished Scientist at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

Speaker #2: Luis Silva – IST Distinguished Professor at the Department of Physica of Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal

Speaker #3: Félicie Albert – is the deputy director for LLNL’s High Energy Density (HED) Science Center and a scientist in LLNL’s National Ignition Facility and Photon Science Directorate, as well as the Joint HED Sciences organization.

These events are free and open to the public.