W. Sandner-LASERLAB-EUROPE and ELI – a scientific symbiosis

W. Sandner: „ELI and LASERLAB-EUROPE“ – ELI beamlines Scientific Challenges, Prague, 2010-4-26

LASERLAB-EUROPE and ELI – a scientific symbiosis

Status and next steps

Wolfgang SandnerMax Born Institute

Coordinator, LASERLAB-EUROPE


Why now (50 years after the birth of the laser)?

Why here (in Europe)?

ELI will be the world„s first truly international

laser project on a trans-national scale.


Why now ?

A global answer =>


EQ=mpc2

after G. Mourou

On their 50th

anniversary lasers

seem stronger than

ever –

The world is ready for

ELI !

Electron quiver

energy

(@ 1 µm)

Ultra-relativistic

Optics ELI


www.icuil.org

The International

Committee on Ultra-High

Intensity Lasers ICUIL

Chair: Toshiki Tajima

An IUPAP Working Group

ICUIL is an organization

concerned with international

aspects of ultra-high intensity

laser science, technology and

education.

High-power lasers – a global enterprise


pulse energy

pulse length

Data from

OECD - Global

Science Forum

CPA table top

CPA fusion

100 GW

1 TW

10 TW

100 TW

10 GW

10 PW

1 PW

100 GW

1 TW

10 TW

100 TW

10 GW

10 PW

1 PWPFS (MPQ)

Laser powers: new horizons through ESFRI projects


The message

- High power lasers is a rapidly developing field

- High power lasers are a driving force for laser development

and novel applications, including those of societal

importance

This workshop is particularly dedicated to such

applications!


ELI - why here (in Europe)?

A regional answer =>


The European laser community:

one of the strongest world-wide

Annual publications (ISI web of science; key word = “laser”)

Observations:

- High scientific output activity on a

global scale

- Lasers are strong compared to

other scientific fields

=> Europe is generally strong in

lasers!


www.laserlab-europe.eu

In particular:

Europe is strong in high-power lasers


100 GW

1 TW

10 TW

100 TW

10 GW

pulse energy

pulse length

10 PW

1 PW

European PW lasers and projects


Is that already sufficient?

The world„s scientific laser community has evolved from - and still

mainly is - a „small science“ community. So far, the maximum

aggregation scale was that of national laboratories.

The community has no tradition to engage into mission-oriented, large

scale international co-operation like ELI.

Europe, however, has a strong tradition in networking among national

laboratories – one of the benefits of EU Framework Programmes!



LASERLAB-EUROPE II

Contractors:

27 laser infrastructures

from 16 countries

13 subcontractors

6 associate partners

Participants from

19 European countries

FP7:

Integrated Laser Infrastructure Activity


Joint Research Activities:

Addressing the broad range of most important new

developments in laser research

– ALADIN: Attosecond Laser sources and Applications;

Design and Innovation

– HAPPIE: High Average and Peak Power Technology

– LAPTECH: Laser plasma accelerator activity

– OPTBIO: Advanced optical techniques in Bio-Imaging

and Bio-Processing

– SFINX: Sources of femtosecond Intense X-rays


Transnational Access:

Access offered to 20 research infrastructures in 11 European

countries,

covering a large range of

complementary facilities

and specific capabilities.

~ 1,100 experiment days p.a.

LASERLAB-EUROPE has

developed a unfied Access Policy for the

network as a whole


Networking:

– Joint public relation activities

– „Best practice‟ technical workshops

– User community training

– Monitoring users‟ needs and quality management

– Foresight workshops

– Establishment of links to other scientific communities

– Support for new participants from new Member States

– Important: “Stairway of Excellence” towards creation of new

laser infrastructures;

stimulation to utilise European Structural Funds


European Laser Community

(Annual output)

Integrated Infrastructure

Network: Laserlab-Europe

Pan - European Research

Infrastructures – the first

international laser projects

The basis

Flexible instrument to

perform and initiate new

science beyond the

national scale

Mission-oriented

single entities to

meet global

challenges

A well structured texture of scientific infrastructure(s)


Wkat are the next steps?


Back to the European laser community

Annual publications (ISI web of science; key word = “laser”)

Additional observations:

- Uneven distribution, highest activity

within the „big 4“ UK, FR, IT, GE

- Output correlates roughly with

national efforts to invest into national

laboratories


Questions and visions:

How can we remove the uneven distribution of lasers,

optics and photonics within Europe?

- Is it sufficient to open the existing national laboratories

to non-national users („Trans-national Access“)? No!

- Is it sufficient to locate new RI„s like ELI in new member

states? Necessary, but not sufficient

- If not, what can (must) the scientific laser community

do? => the future role of LASERLAB-EUROPE


Trans-national Access to Large Scale Laser Facilities:

Is it sufficient?

Origin of

Users (2008)

No:

Users come predominantly from

countries which already have well

developed facility infrastructures

=> Need new RI„s in Europe!


Conclusion:

Trans-national Access alone does not solve the problem of

uneven distribution of optics and photonics activities in

Europe

=> „wholistic“ or integrated approach needed


(Annual output)

A well (?) structured texture of scientific infrastructure(s)

The „chicken-and-hen“ problem:

- ELI – once existing - shall greatly help homogenizing the European

scientific laser community

- But is the European scientific laser community already strong enough to

engage in ELI?


Future European laser science:

(Annual output)

The role of LASERLAB-EUROPE:

• LASERLAB-EUROPE was seminal for ELI and is an integral part of the

scientific structure => I3s must pertain, and we must remain successful in

future I3 calls

• In addition, LASERLAB-EUROPE may become an ERI Consortium

• Europe plans to spend about 1 billion € on lasers over the next 5 years – we

don„t have the human resources! => LASERLAB-EUROPE will help to

acquire European training and mobility funds in a co-ordinated way!

• ELI needs the combined European expertise to be built => LASERLAB-

EUROPE will continue to support ELI-relevant Joint Research Activities

• LASERLAB-EUROPE will provide assistance in Transnational Access Policies


The future European

Laser Landscape

W. Sandner-LASERLAB-EUROPE and ELI – a scientific symbiosis

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