The preamplifiers of the National Ignition Facility are the first step in increasing the energy of laser beams as they make their way toward the target chamber. NIF recently achieved a 500 terawatt shot — 1,000 times more power than the United States uses at any instant in time.(DAMIEN JEMISON/LLNL)

This Is Why The 2018 Nobel Prize In Physics, For Lasers, Is So Important

This year’s prize represents not just a single example of brilliant work, but generations of advancements that led to it.

Every year, the most prestigious prize in the most fundamental of the natural sciences is given out: the Nobel Prize in Physics. Some recent prizes have literally shook our understanding of the Universe, from the discovery of dark energy to the Higgs boson to the first direct detection of gravitational waves. Others have been more obscure but no less important, such as for the development of the blue LED or advances in topology as applied to materials. This year’s prize goes to Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Morou, and Donna Strickland, for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics.

At first glance, this might not seem to be such a big deal, given how commonplace lasers are. But if we look closer, you’ll understand why it’s not only Nobel-worthy, but why it’s so meaningful for the human enterprise of science.

A set of Q-line laser pointers showcase the diverse colors and compact size that now are commonplace for lasers. The continuously-operating lasers shown here are very low power, measuring just watts or fractions of watts, while the high-power record is now measured in petawatts. (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS USER NETWEB01)

It’s easy to take lasers for granted; in 2018, they’re everywhere. Light may be a wave, but…