Status report on the construction of Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System (ZEUS) at the University of Michigan *

The Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System (ZEUS) is being built at the University of Michigan as the NSF mid-scale user facility. The ZEUS facility will include a repetitive dual-beamline 3 PW laser system, a 100 J programmable shape multi-ns pulse driver, three radiation shielded experimental areas and will provide unique new capabilities to explore nonlinear quantum electrodynamics, relativistic plasmas, particles acceleration, extreme laboratory astrophysics, basic plasma physics and nuclear photonics. The construction status of the ZEUS facility including building renovation, laser, beam lines, experimental chambers, radiation shielding and the future experimental plans will be reported.