ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The University of Rochester is celebrating a brand new research space as part of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). The plan is to build the biggest laser in the world in that building.

This $46 million building is so cutting edge that the floors are specifically engineered to account for and minimize vibrations from the nearby highway. While the building is brand new and not fully set up yet, most of the technology showcased is from their other buildings, some of which will be relocated to this new space.

The LLE is used for nuclear fusion research, the kind of nuclear energy that powers the sun. It’s a form of green energy that’s way more powerful than anything that currently exists. University leaders say this type of work enhances national security and national energy prospects.

Another aspect of the research is high-energy density physics, the kind of physics found on other planets and stars. They’ll be replicating those faraway places right here in this lab.

They’ll be teaching here, too.

“We are not a national lab – the teaching mission is an important part of what goes on here. There are opportunities for high school students, undergrads, grad students to dive deeply into cutting edge fields and technologies,” said Sarah Mangelsdorf, president of the University of Rochester.

Robert Nowak, a second-year PhD student, is, like many researchers, being given lab space to dive deeper into his work.

“We have a lot of plans, a lot of ideas that this space will help us with, and yeah, I look forward to delving more into those and seeing what science we can accomplish,” Nowak said.

Mangelsdorf emphasized that facilities like this are what draw some of the best brains from around the world right here to Rochester.

While senior leadership and local legislators toured the space this morning, most of the rooms were still empty. LLE Director Chris Deeny said it takes a lot of time to set things up right, but it’s full steam ahead now that the building is officially open.

In other buildings, hundreds of scientists are working every day on high-level, cutting edge research. Each is focused on their deeply specialized piece of an incredibly complex puzzle. One researcher’s entire job, for instance, is studying and mitigating vibrations. He looks at how the highway and HVAC system affect their measurement, and works to fix it.

While that may not be what you think of when you hear “research,” it’s one key piece of this giant, cutting-edge, high-tech pie.

Alex Bolognesi, senior optomanufacturing specialist, built a laser called Amica. It’s the size of a school bus, and it’s going to be just one part of the world’s biggest laser.

“It’s pretty cool. We do really cool stuff here every single day, impactful things. And that’s what I like. I like furthering science, right? I didnt design this, I didn’t come up with the core technologies for this, but i was just part of bringing it to fruition. and that is gonna enable so many other scientific advancements and achievements,” Bolognesi said.

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