JLab FEL breaks power record

The FEL (Free Electron Laser) team at JLAB (the Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory) have broken another power record.

In July 2004 they managed to produce 10kW of laser light and on October 30th they produced 14.2 kW at 1.61u.

Producing 14.2 kW is another record for the laser. "In this case, the smaller the wavelength in the infrared, the more difficult it was to reach at these tremendously high powers," said Fred Dylla, Jefferson Lab's chief technology officer and associate director of the Free-Electron Laser Div. "Reaching 14 kilowatts at 1.61 microns is a truly remarkable achievement, and we couldn't have done it without the hard work and dedication of the FEL staff and our colleagues at Jefferson Lab. The team created groundbreaking designs that resolved technical challenges never before seen, since these power levels are unprecedented."

Dylla said the laser's new capabilities will enhance a wide range of Navy applications, such as shipboard antimissile defense and other defense applications as well as manufacturing technologies and the support of scientific studies in chemistry, physics, biology and medicine.