He also used the laser to melt through tungsten, an ultra-strong metal with a melting point of 3,422 degrees Celsius, which is the highest melting point of any metal. He even set a diamond on fire.

The word laser usually conjures up an image of a strongly concentrated and continuous light beam. Lasers that produce such light are, in fact, very common and useful. However, science and industry ...

Try to fathom the power of 1 million nuclear power plants. Now, imagine there is a way to pack the equivalent of that into the pulse of a laser beam—even if it’s only for one quadrillionth of ...

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. A laser named after the most powerful god in ancient Greece is living up to its name.