Scientists are probing topological insulators with circularly polarized light to reveal their many secrets. These exotic materials have potential for quantum computing and other technologies. They ...

A new experiment has demonstrated something that sounds physically impossible – light itself casting a shadow. It turns out that if you manipulate a laser just right, then hit it side-on with another ...

Radiative shocks are a class of shock waves in which the transport and deposition of radiation play a central role in modulating the shock’s structure and dynamics. These phenomena are not only ...

With dual lasers, researchers have accelerated a high-quality beam of electrons to 10 billion electronvolts in just 30 centimeters. The experiment gives scientists a 'frame-by-frame' look at how a ...

It's not at every university that laser pulses powerful enough to burn paper and skin are sent blazing down a hallway. But that’s what happened in UMD’s Energy Research Facility, an unremarkable ...

Experts at the BELLA Center used dual laser beams focused onto a sheet of gas to reach a milestone energy in laser-driven electron acceleration. Four members of the larger team gathered with the ...

Scientists have used a pair of lasers and a supersonic sheet of gas to accelerate electrons to high energies in less than a ...