Romania is home to a unique laser technology in the whole world. It promises to revolutionize many fields, including health or space travel. What it is?
Laser technology unique in the world. Romania hosts the most powerful laser on the planet
Laser technology unique in the world. In the command center of a research institute in Romania, the engineer Antonia Toma leads the activation operation of the most powerful laser in the world, an instrument with revolutionary promises that extend from the field of health to the exploration of outer space.
The data is impressive: the technology can reach a maximum power of 10 petawatts (the equivalent of 10 to the 15th power) for an extremely short duration of about a femtosecond (that is, one billionth of a billionth of a second).
In a room full of monitors reflecting light beams, a 29-year-old female engineer carefully examines numerous indicators before starting the countdown process.
The frequency with which these shots are fired at the targets placed in the experimental chambers is currently extremely high, comprising between 30 and 40 shots per day.
According to the engineer, the activity is challenging, but with remarkable rewards. Especially considering the global interest shown by research teams visiting the location to evaluate this unique piece of equipment. These statements were made during a press conference held this week at the headquarters near Bucharest, at the Măgurele center, according to statements provided to AFP.
From another perspective, on the opposite side of the window, lined up in long rows, are boxes of different colors, red and black, housing two laser chains. There is some fascinating technology in this room. We find titanium crystals encrusted in sapphire, activated by an optical pump, which generates light beams. We can also see hundreds of mirrors of various sizes and diffraction gratings coated with thin layers of gold.
The construction of the laser was possible with investments of tens of millions of euros
Laser technology unique in the world. To achieve this remarkable performance, several tens of millions of euros were invested in the purchase of 450 tons of equipment and in a meticulous installation, reveals Franck Leibreich, who is responsible for managing laser activities for the French company Thales, the operator of the system .
Equipped with state-of-the-art anti-vibration technology, the building, which involved a massive investment of 320 million euros, largely financed by the European Union, is a special achievement for Romania. The gamma ray production facility will not be completed until 2026.
As he explores the spacious hall with its immaculately clean white floor, Gérard Mourou, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics, expresses deep emotion about this amazing journey. After thirty years spent in the United States, he feels overwhelmed by the moment when this project, initiated in the 2000s under ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure), is becoming a reality in Europe.
“It starts from a small bright grain, with very, very little energy, which will be amplified millions and millions of times,” explains the Nobel Prize laureate.
He contributed to the development of a technique called Slow Pulse Amplification (CPA), which he created with his colleague, Canadian researcher Donna Strickland. She later became a co-winner of the Nobel Prize. The method involved expanding, amplifying and then compressing the laser pulse, and was devised around the 1980s when Donna Strickland was still Mourou’s student.
In addition to their advances in the field of quantum physics or the study of black holes, the research of these two scientists facilitated the improvement of vision for millions of people suffering from conditions such as myopia or cataracts.
Discoveries that open new horizons
Laser technology unique in the world. Professor Mourou assures us that the latest discoveries will open new horizons for us, with significant implications, especially in the medical sphere.
“We will use these ultra-intense pulses to produce much more compact and less expensive particle accelerators to destroy cancer cells,” he added.
There are other possible uses, such as nuclear waste management by shortening the lifetime of radioactivity. Including clearing the crowded sidereal space of a lot of cosmic detritus – the equivalent of four Eiffel structures, that’s about 28,000 tons.
In such a situation, using the laser could have the potential to manage this debris and create a mechanism to remove it from orbit as a form of propulsion device.
The laser, whose fundamental principles were elucidated by Einstein in 1916, has become an integral part of our daily life. It is used in various applications, from CDs to barcode scanners in the supermarket or in industry, where these precision tools are essential for welding and cutting.
The laser emits only one color, be it red, green, blue or other, in contrast to ordinary light which is made up of a combination of several colors. All the light rays go in the same direction, forming a concentrated beam.
Gérard Mourou is firmly convinced that, after the age of the electron in the 20th century, the 21st century will be dominated by the laser. In addition, other nations such as France, China or the United States are involved in a global race to develop even more powerful lasers.
