Optical Surfaces supplies first of 10 beam expanders to ELI-NP petawatt laser project

Nov. 21, 2016
The beam expanders will withstand 10 petawatt, 30 fs pulses.

Optical Surfaces (Kenley, England) has supplied the first of 10 large beam expanders to Thales (Paris, France) for the Extreme Light Infrastructure for Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) project to develop the world’s most powerful laser system. Optical Surfaces will supply four 580-mm-aperture and six 200-mm-aperture laser beam expanders in all. Offering an unprecedented level of peak power in ultrashort pulses, the two new 10 petawatt high-intensity lasers will be delivered to the Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics & Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH) in Magurele, Romania.

The €60 million contract awarded to Thales to develop the laser systems is the largest contract by a national research institute under a European-funded program. Due to be operational by 2018, the two lasers will be used for many areas of research, including physics and astrophysics, materials science, and the life sciences, and for the management of nuclear material. In addition, they will pave the way for the development of a new generation of tabletop particle accelerators that will be much smaller and less costly than existing accelerators.

For more info on Optical Surfaces, see www.optisurf.com.

Sources:

http://www.optisurf.com/index.php/news/news

https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/press-release/thales-and-eli-np-develop-worlds-most-powerful-laser

About the Author

John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)

John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.

Sponsored Recommendations

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) electrode manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
Learn how an industry-leading Brain Computer Interface Electrode (BCI) manufacturer used precision laser micromachining to produce high-density neural microelectrode arrays.

Electro-Optic Sensor and System Performance Verification with Motion Systems

Jan. 31, 2025
To learn how to use motion control equipment for electro-optic sensor testing, click here to read our whitepaper!

How nanopositioning helped achieve fusion ignition

Jan. 31, 2025
In December 2022, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved fusion ignition. Learn how Aerotech nanopositioning contributed to this...

Nanometer Scale Industrial Automation for Optical Device Manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
In optical device manufacturing, choosing automation technologies at the R&D level that are also suitable for production environments is critical to bringing new devices to market...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!