Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60

§18651 High Intensity Laser Research Initiative

Title 42 › Chapter 161— DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY RESEARCH AND INNOVATION › Subchapter III— DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF SCIENCE POLICY › § 18651

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Director must start a high-intensity laser research program based on two reports: “Opportunities in Intense Ultrafast Lasers: Reaching for the Brightest Light” and “The Future of Intense Ultrafast Lasers in the U.S.” The program must fund research and development of petawatt-scale and high-average-power lasers for future science facilities and to help energy-related technologies. It must back a user network of university and National Laboratory laser centers. The Director must also use new laser tech to make smaller, simpler, and cheaper accelerator systems. The Director must coordinate this work across the Office of Science, and the Under Secretary for Science must coordinate with other parts of the Department and other federal agencies. The law authorizes these amounts from Office of Science funds to carry out the work: $50,000,000 for FY2023; $100,000,000 for FY2024; $150,000,000 for FY2025; $200,000,000 for FY2026; and $250,000,000 for FY2027.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §18651

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Director shall establish a high intensity laser research initiative consistent with the recommendations of the National Academies report entitled “Opportunities in Intense Ultrafast Lasers: Reaching for the Brightest Light” and the report from the Brightest Light Initiative workshop entitled “The Future of Intense Ultrafast Lasers in the U.S.”. The initiative should include research and development of petawatt-scale and of high average power laser technologies necessary for future facility needs in discovery science and to advance energy technologies, as well as support for a user network of academic and National Laboratory high intensity laser facilities.

(b)The Director shall leverage new laser technologies for more compact, less complex, and low-cost accelerator systems needed for science applications.

(c)(1)The Director shall coordinate the initiative established under subsection (a) among all relevant programs within the Office of Science.

(2)The Under Secretary for Science shall coordinate the initiative established under subsection (a) with other relevant programs within the Department and other Federal agencies.

(d)Out of funds authorized to be appropriated for the Office of Science in a fiscal year, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the activities described in this section—

(1)$50,000,000 for fiscal year 2023;

(2)$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;

(3)$150,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;

(4)$200,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and

(5)$250,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 18651

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60