Harnessing the power of light: from the physics of the extreme to industry

Over the last century, light sources – in particularly, lasers – have improved exponentially, transforming our understanding of the universe from the large to the small and revolutionizing industries from medicine to semiconductors. Presented here is a glimpse into the capabilities of modern lasers ranging from Terawatt-class solid-state lasers to accelerator-based free-electron lasers (FELs). Such lasers can excite and probe matter in extreme conditions, enabling the study of exotic astrophysical phenomena in a laboratory setting. On the practical side, FELs now enable the efficient generation of high average power sources of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light which is crucial for advanced semiconductor lithography and for powering Moore’s Law for years to come.