The equipment extracts energy from electrons, or particles of atoms that are easy to accelerate to high energies. The laser produced its first light in June 1998, hitting 155 watts. This spring, it was hovering around 720 watts, said Linda Ware, spokeswoman for the lab. Even at lower power, the laser makes quick work of many materials. For example, it bored a hole through a hard piece of ceramic, about an eighth-inch thick, in a matter of seconds at 10 watts, he said.
Metals are even easier to cut.
To date, four groups have received grants to work with the laser. Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., will use it to look for defects in silicon chips. A professor backed by Norfolk State University and the Jefferson Lab will use the light to initiate chemical reactions and make high-purity materials for electronics. At the College of William and Mary, researchers want to produce high-quality, thin films of magnetic material that could be used to create computer disks with more memory. And Northrop Grumman has a grant from NASA to create very lightweight plastics by using the laser to cut away material on plastic films and make them even thinner.