The world’s most powerful laser is live at the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) center of the European Union in Romania, marking a significant advancement in laser technology.
Modern ELI laser equipment can provide the strongest and shortest laser pulses ever seen, changing the field of laser technology. By amplifying, compressing, and prolonging ultra-brief laser pulses, researchers can overcome significant obstacles and increase laser power while adhering to safety regulations.
Thanks to a partnership between Thales and renowned scientists Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland, the laser system is the first to produce ultra-short, high-intensity laser pulses through chirped pulse amplification. This technique significantly advances laser capabilities, achieving an unparalleled peak output of 10 petawatts in less than a millisecond.
Valued at 320 million euros, Thales’s investment in ELI is Romania’s most significant scientific project, and its funding comes mostly from the European Union.
High-power lasers have medical applications that include isotope tracer manufacturing, proton or electron beam therapy, and targeted cancer treatment. In the industrial sector, they also aid in detecting component defects and cargo scanning and can completely transform nuclear fusion energy production.
The product line manager at Thales for scientific and industrial lasers, Christophe Simon-Boisson, highlights the critical role of high-power, short-pulse lasers in future energy strategies and offers hope for waste-free, safe, and clean energy generation.
Additionally, the application is used for nuclear waste treatment and space debris cleanup, demonstrating the impact and applicability of this ground-breaking technology.
Gérard Mourou saw this technology, which has enormous promise in many other fields, as the beginning of a new era of progress and advancement. It can potentially influence the 21st century like the electron did in the 20th.