NSF OPAL Open Letter of Support
The undersigned call on Congress, the US National Science Foundation (NSF), and other federal partners to support the construction of NSF OPAL—the highest-power laser system in the world. NSF OPAL would recapture US global leadership and unlock new scientific discoveries with broad applications, including those in defense, energy, health care, and manufacturing. As an open-access user facility, scientists and engineers from research universities, national laboratories, and industry would access NSF OPAL on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, both to advance transformative science and new technologies and to enable the facility to serve as a training ground for next-generation STEM talent. This national-scale effort with strong international participation, as evidenced by the signers below, positions NSF OPAL as the highest priority facility investment that will address multiple areas of frontier science.
NSF OPAL: America’s Flagship for Global Leadership in Ultrahigh-Intensity Laser Science
The NSF OPAL project aims to build the most powerful and flexible laser user facility in the world. NSF OPAL will use ultrahigh-peak-power lasers to explore the most extreme states of matter and radiation, ushering in a new era of discovery in frontier science. The facility would house two 25-petawatt lasers using chirped-pulse amplification, a technique invented in Rochester and recognized by the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. The European Union has invested over one billion euros in three Extreme Light Infrastructure facilities in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. China continues to aggressively pursue several multipetawatt laser facilities. Given these major international investments, the 2018 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report Opportunities in Intense Ultrafast Lasers: Reaching for the Brightest Light warned that the US had lost leadership in ultrahigh-peak-power lasers. The US can reclaim that leadership with a relatively modest investment in a facility, such as NSF OPAL.
NSF OPAL will leverage current scientific infrastructure in Rochester by collocating NSF OPAL with the four OMEGA EP multikilojoule, ultraviolet laser beamlines that currently support the national security missions of the Department of Energy. The 2018 NAS report saw such collocation as an essential and key advantage over other international programs.
Establishing NSF OPAL at an open-access university offers unique capabilities desired by the broad research community. Additionally, this provides a cost-effective means to access new areas of frontier science on a timeline that builds vigorously on the new capabilities offered by other ultra-intense laser facilities, such as the recently commissioned NSF ZEUS at the University of Michigan. The NSF OPAL project represents the most advanced and ready opportunity to propel American science, innovation, and workforce development to new heights of international leadership. Supporting the construction of NSF OPAL means opening new frontiers of science, advancing technology in key sectors, strengthening national security, and preparing the next generation of leaders in technology and research.
Transforming Scientific Discovery
Numerous workshops and studies recognized the frontier science enabled by new generations of ultra-intense and powerful lasers, such as NSF OPAL:
- 2019 Brightest Light Initiative (BLI) workshop
- 2020 APS-DPP Community Plan for Fusion Energy and Discovery Plasma Sciences
- 2020 NAS Decadal Assessment of Plasma Science
- 2022 International Multi-Petawatt Physics Prioritization (MP3) workshop
- 2023 NAS Fundamental Research in High Energy Density Science study
NSF OPAL’s unprecedented capabilities will open new domains of experimental research, including:
- Probing the quantum structure of the vacuum and testing strong-field quantum electrodynamics
- Experimentally reproducing astrophysical phenomena and conditions at the interiors of stars and planets in the laboratory, and studying high-energy-density quantum phenomena
- Advancing particle acceleration and next-generation radiation sources
- Enabling breakthroughs in laser-driven nuclear physics
By pushing experimental limits, NSF OPAL will drive transformative discoveries and technological advances that ripple across science, industry, and society—for example, compact laser-driven particle accelerators and light sources that could be broadly implemented in many institutions. These new capabilities would revolutionize applications that range from producing new isotopes, to diagnosing and treating cancer, to material inspection using x-ray and gamma sources.
Innovation and Workforce Development
NSF OPAL will serve as more than just a scientific powerhouse—it will function as a national engine for innovation, workforce development, and education. As a vibrant learning environment and a hub for scientific networks, NSF OPAL will offer hands-on opportunities in fundamental research, innovation, and technology development. By providing access to world-leading laser facilities, NSF OPAL will train and prepare the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technicians for careers in high-tech industries, national laboratories, and academia. Integrating NSF OPAL with regional economic and innovation hubs will help translate scientific advances into economic growth and job creation, strengthening US competitiveness in emerging technology sectors. This investment in both discovery science and human capital proves essential for national progress, security, and prosperity.