Laser to uncover secrets of universe

China is building a laser 20 times stronger than the most powerful one now in use to probe the secrets of the universe and create new materials for a wide array of products.

Last year, the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics created the world's highest peak power pulsed lasers - intense lasers that generate beams in extremely short bursts - clocking in at 5.3 quadrillion watts (a quadrillion is 1 followed by 15 zeros) in less than 30 quadrillionths of a second.

Now, it is building an even stronger one, which can produce 100 quadrillion watts - about 50,000 times the planet's total power consumption - in an extremely short time, said Li Ruxin, project leader and director of the institute, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.