Periodic Reporting for period 3 - LASERLAB-EUROPE (The Integrated Initiative of European Laser Research Infrastructures)
Reporting period: 2022-12-01 to 2024-11-30
The field of advanced lasers has recently experienced remarkable advances and breakthroughs in laser technologies and novel applications. Laser technology is a key innovation driver for highly varied applications and products in many areas of modern society, thereby substantially contributing to economic growth. In order to strengthen Europe’s leading position and competitiveness in this key area, Laserlab-Europe aims at facilitating the coordination of laser research activities within Europe by integrating major facilities in most European member states with a long-term perspective and providing concerted and efficient services to researchers in science and industry. The main objectives of Laserlab-Europe were to:
• promote in a coordinated way the use of advanced lasers and laser-based technologies for research and innovation in Europe,
• serve a cross-disciplinary user community from academia and industry by providing access to a comprehensive and complementary set of advanced key laser research installations,
• increase the European human capital in laser science and applications through user training activities, both from yet underrepresented regions and in novel domains of science and technology,
• improve the European technological and scientific expertise through staff exchange and coordinated Joint Research Activities (JRA) that enable world-class research and innovations for future laser-based applications.
Having tackled and met these challenges, Laserlab-Europe reinforced its position as the European consortium of major national laser research infrastructures (RI), covering advanced laser science and applications in most domains of research and technology, with particular emphasis on areas with social impact, e.g. bio- and nanophotonics, materials analyses, biology and medicine. The consortium provided transnational access to a large number of external users while conducting strategically designed Joint Research and Networking Activities to improve the quality of operated facilities and enlarge their capacity. As a result, the user community now benefits from the most advanced instruments and highest-quality service. In addition to scientific and technological achievements, and thanks to an enhanced comprehension of the user needs, the project has acted as preparatory platform for a series of Horizon Europe R&D projects and contributed to new access-oriented distributed RI (Lasers4EU, RIANA and ReMade@ARI) in order to continue participating to the success of the European Research Area.
• promote in a coordinated way the use of advanced lasers and laser-based technologies for research and innovation in Europe,
• serve a cross-disciplinary user community from academia and industry by providing access to a comprehensive and complementary set of advanced key laser research installations,
• increase the European human capital in laser science and applications through user training activities, both from yet underrepresented regions and in novel domains of science and technology,
• improve the European technological and scientific expertise through staff exchange and coordinated Joint Research Activities (JRA) that enable world-class research and innovations for future laser-based applications.
Having tackled and met these challenges, Laserlab-Europe reinforced its position as the European consortium of major national laser research infrastructures (RI), covering advanced laser science and applications in most domains of research and technology, with particular emphasis on areas with social impact, e.g. bio- and nanophotonics, materials analyses, biology and medicine. The consortium provided transnational access to a large number of external users while conducting strategically designed Joint Research and Networking Activities to improve the quality of operated facilities and enlarge their capacity. As a result, the user community now benefits from the most advanced instruments and highest-quality service. In addition to scientific and technological achievements, and thanks to an enhanced comprehension of the user needs, the project has acted as preparatory platform for a series of Horizon Europe R&D projects and contributed to new access-oriented distributed RI (Lasers4EU, RIANA and ReMade@ARI) in order to continue participating to the success of the European Research Area.
Networking activities tie the project partners together and link Laserlab-Europe to the user community and to emerging Pan-European laser RI. They provide the means to boost the efficiency of R&D and help to exploit its innovation potential. Publication of the biannual Laserlab newsletter and of the European Laser Landscape (together with ELI ERIC), the Laserlab Conference showcasing Laserlab-Europe’s scientific achievements and societal impacts to the broadest audience and bridge workshops with Science@FELs are among the most important networking activities. A large number of training schools and events was organized to enlarge the user community.
Laserlab-Europe merges the capabilities of 35 leading European laser RIs in 18 countries. It offers research opportunities to scientists from all over the world through access to an Integrated Infrastructure whose combined technical capability and expertise have no counterpart worldwide. Overall, 3963 access days have been provided to 952 users, exceeding the contractual commitment. 70% of the users are new users, i.e. persons who have not had access during previous projects. These achievements attest the attractivity of the access programme and the high user demand.
Two JRAs strongly support developments of innovative equipment and techniques to improve, beyond the present state-of-the-art, the participating RIs and their services. The JRA topics address major societal needs, key bottlenecks and challenges in laser technology, diagnostics and metrology, evolving industrial needs, and materials and biomedical science in demand of innovative analytical tools and advanced imaging techniques.
PRISES integrates the improvement of both ultra-short high-power lasers and secondary energetic radiation and particle sources to the development of workstations for multi-scale applications. Aging and damaging of laser materials and optics were investigated to improve the resilience of the primary laser facilities. Post-pulse compression schemes were extended into the mid-infrared wavelength region as well as into the XUV. Together with other developments, it led to new records for a number of different wavelength ranges and pulse energies, even at very high repetition rates. Thanks to a better understanding of laser-matter interaction, and in combination to new simulation codes, secondary sources were optimized, as well as their beam parameters that reach now unprecedented values. It laid the foundation for the success of the connected workstations for applications in radiobiology, coherent X-ray imaging and X-ray spectroscopy, providing a promising business case for their wider use in the future, e.g. in cancer therapy or fundamental research.
ALTIS addresses the needs for new and innovative methodologies and platforms for advanced imaging and spectroscopy in the fields of biomedicine, bio- and nano-materials and environmental science. Spectroscopy and imaging tools have been expanded from the nanometer to the micrometer scale and integrated with manipulation methods to probe the biophysical response of samples to external stimuli. They have enhanced the usability of label-free, non-perturbing techniques. Existing technologies have been combined and enhanced to enable fast, single-cell resolution imaging and to probe rapid signaling in living samples. The structure and dynamics of complex molecular systems, materials, and energy relaxation pathways have been explored through the development of novel ultrafast pump-probe instrumentation and techniques, covering a broad range of frequencies from attosecond to femtosecond timescales. Finally, this JRA has focused on integrating complementary laser spectroscopic techniques to study polluting gases, metals, and microplastics, aiming to better understand and raise awareness about their impact on the environment, climate, ecosystems, and food chains.
Laserlab-Europe merges the capabilities of 35 leading European laser RIs in 18 countries. It offers research opportunities to scientists from all over the world through access to an Integrated Infrastructure whose combined technical capability and expertise have no counterpart worldwide. Overall, 3963 access days have been provided to 952 users, exceeding the contractual commitment. 70% of the users are new users, i.e. persons who have not had access during previous projects. These achievements attest the attractivity of the access programme and the high user demand.
Two JRAs strongly support developments of innovative equipment and techniques to improve, beyond the present state-of-the-art, the participating RIs and their services. The JRA topics address major societal needs, key bottlenecks and challenges in laser technology, diagnostics and metrology, evolving industrial needs, and materials and biomedical science in demand of innovative analytical tools and advanced imaging techniques.
PRISES integrates the improvement of both ultra-short high-power lasers and secondary energetic radiation and particle sources to the development of workstations for multi-scale applications. Aging and damaging of laser materials and optics were investigated to improve the resilience of the primary laser facilities. Post-pulse compression schemes were extended into the mid-infrared wavelength region as well as into the XUV. Together with other developments, it led to new records for a number of different wavelength ranges and pulse energies, even at very high repetition rates. Thanks to a better understanding of laser-matter interaction, and in combination to new simulation codes, secondary sources were optimized, as well as their beam parameters that reach now unprecedented values. It laid the foundation for the success of the connected workstations for applications in radiobiology, coherent X-ray imaging and X-ray spectroscopy, providing a promising business case for their wider use in the future, e.g. in cancer therapy or fundamental research.
ALTIS addresses the needs for new and innovative methodologies and platforms for advanced imaging and spectroscopy in the fields of biomedicine, bio- and nano-materials and environmental science. Spectroscopy and imaging tools have been expanded from the nanometer to the micrometer scale and integrated with manipulation methods to probe the biophysical response of samples to external stimuli. They have enhanced the usability of label-free, non-perturbing techniques. Existing technologies have been combined and enhanced to enable fast, single-cell resolution imaging and to probe rapid signaling in living samples. The structure and dynamics of complex molecular systems, materials, and energy relaxation pathways have been explored through the development of novel ultrafast pump-probe instrumentation and techniques, covering a broad range of frequencies from attosecond to femtosecond timescales. Finally, this JRA has focused on integrating complementary laser spectroscopic techniques to study polluting gases, metals, and microplastics, aiming to better understand and raise awareness about their impact on the environment, climate, ecosystems, and food chains.
Laserlab-Europe has a very strong impact on the European Research Area by pushing the forefront of laser research beyond the state-of-the-art -thereby improving the capabilities and services provided by the participating research infrastructures- and by promoting the use of advanced lasers and laser-based technologies in a wide range of cross-disciplinary applications for the benefit of a wide user community in academia, industry and medicine.
All JRAs include cooperation with industry, SMEs and/or hospitals and medical centres and actions to enhance exploitation and interaction with these latter were launched for a rich exchange of knowledge and ideas and an increased potential of turning innovation into new products and jobs. The series of online Talks, available on YouTube, targets topics of relevance for industrial and medical partners and provides a platform for raising awareness of the opportunities offered by laser technologies and for showcasing Laserlab-Europe activities and expertise to the broader community.
All JRAs include cooperation with industry, SMEs and/or hospitals and medical centres and actions to enhance exploitation and interaction with these latter were launched for a rich exchange of knowledge and ideas and an increased potential of turning innovation into new products and jobs. The series of online Talks, available on YouTube, targets topics of relevance for industrial and medical partners and provides a platform for raising awareness of the opportunities offered by laser technologies and for showcasing Laserlab-Europe activities and expertise to the broader community.