JOURNAL ARTICLE

First petawatt electron beam arrives, ready to rip apart matter and space.

  • Published In: Sciencemag.org, 2025. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Applied Science & Technology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Cho, Adrian 3 of 3

Abstract

Physicists have successfully produced petawatt pulses of electrons, matching the power of petawatt lasers, which could have significant applications in various fields. By compressing electron bunches using a series of magnets and lasers, researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory were able to generate ultra-high-power electron beams. These beams could enhance x-ray science, laboratory astrophysics, and potentially even probe the nature of empty space by ripping particle-antiparticle pairs out of the vacuum. The development of even more powerful mega-amp beams is the next step in this research. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Sciencemag.org. 2025/02, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Science
  • Publication Date:2025
  • Accession Number:183407587
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