Extreme Light Laboratory
Extreme Light Laboratory

The Extreme Light Laboratory is home to Diocles. Sitting within a 15-by-15 foot square space, this small but powerful laser produces as much energy as 100,000 Hoover Dams, all within the time frame of 30 billionths of one millionth of a second, aka 25 femtoseconds.

Diocles produces pressure greater than that within the core of the sun. This process allows laboratory director Donald Umstadter and his team to study conditions found only at the horizons of black holes or inside exploding supernovas. Nebraska scientists are answering big science questions within the space of a small lab.

The Big Ten Network featured the Extreme Light Lab in a 2015-16 BTN LiveBIG spotlight. The video highlights the research and innovation of the Diocles researchers. Watch the video here.

The Diocles team has been awarded research grants from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. With these funds, the Diocles team leads research in new scientific discoveries and technologies that may benefit society:

Looking through Diocles laser apparatus at Donald Umstadter

Diocles by the Numbers

140
terawatts

PEAK POWER

>25
femtoseconds

PULSE DURATION

3.5
joules

PULSE ENERGY