[seoaeu]

The lasers they use are extremely specialized, since they have to deliver outrageous amounts of power for a very short period of time. Advancements in normal lasers may not be of much use here

Edit: Wow, looks like they have improved considerably

[DennisP]

Yes, and lasers that do exactly that have advanced very quickly. We're up to multi-petawatt picosecond lasers now. We're getting high repetition rates instead of the once or twice per day of NIF, by using laser diodes in place of flashlamps. There are dozens of extreme laser facilities operating or under construction all over the world. And if I'm not misinterpreting this, efficiency is as high as 60%:

https://www.laserfocusworld.com/lasers-sources/article/14186...