A laser named after the most powerful god in ancient Greece is living up to its name. ZEUS relied on a reconfigured target for its debut demonstration, which required firing a laser pulse at a cell containing helium. The electrons started gaining speed behind the laser pulse in a phenomenon known as wakefield acceleration. ZEUS is now the most powerful laser in the US. “Having a national resource like this, which awards time to users whose experimental concepts are most promising for advancing scientific priorities, is really bringing high-intensity laser science back to the U.S.”