Yardstick

• Researchers measure distance with laser rangefinders. They can determine distance accurately, as well as find and measure the size and location of objects.
  
  

Cooling

• Laser beams can trap and draw energy from small amounts of matter that have already been cooled by conventional means. The laser light lowers the temperature to tiny fractions of a degree above absolute zero.
  
  

Power

• The most powerful laser in the world is at the National Ignition Facility in California. It burns a hydrogen pellet with over a trillion watts of energy in a burst lasting under a millionth of a second.
  
  

Seismology

• Lasers can measure very small movements on land masses, giving early warnings for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
  
  

Tweezers

• Scientists use pure laser light to precisely move microscopic objects. They can grab and move things from viruses down to individual atoms.