X-Ray Laser Turns Up the Heat to 3.6 Million Degrees

An x-ray laser fired at a sample of aluminum has generated temperatures of 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit - hotter than the sun’s corona. Scientists achieved the sizzling temperatures using a powerful x-ray laser at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The advancement represents the first time researchers have been able to produce such plasmas in a controlled way.