The heating is so fast that the atoms don't have a chance to escape as vapor. Instead, they compress and implode. For a brief instant, fusion results. A mini-star is born. So far, however, the laser is not powerful enough to produce sustained fusion, and the technology is still decades away.
Scientists already know how to split an atom to produce energy.
Called fission, the reaction is used in nuclear power plants and atomic bombs. As the laser industry grows, scientists continue to discover new applications for this special light. Some speculate the next generation of scientists will use lasers to explore other star systems or fuel spaceships far into the galaxy. For now, however, the future scientists in Donaldson's optics class have fun with laser basics. They're beautiful scientifically because the work is so clean and clear and measurable.