TAU Systems Wins Beam Time on World’s Most Powerful Laser at ELI Nuclear Physics
TAU Systems a leader in laser-driven particle acceleration, together with the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), has been awarded an exclusive five-week beam time allocation on the Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility’s 10-petawatt laser, the most powerful ultrafast laser in the world. This prestigious opportunity will enable TAU Systems to push the boundaries of self-guided Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) and advance the understanding of long-distance electron acceleration.
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Despite significant progress in achieving energy gains in the range of tens and hundreds of megaelectronvolts (MeV), LWFA still presents fundamental challenges in generating multi-gigaelectronvolt (GeV) electrons. While previous approaches employing external guiding and complex injection schemes have successfully demonstrated energies up to 10 GeV, self-guided LWFA at these energy levels remains largely unexplored. TAU Systems’ groundbreaking proposal seeks to investigate single-stage LWFA in the ionization-injection regime using a 100-joule class multi-petawatt laser. The study will focus on determining the maximum achievable energy gain without relying on plasma structuring or external guiding mechanisms.
“Our research aims to uncover the limits of self-guided LWFA and determine how acceleration distance is influenced by plasma density and laser energy,” said Bjorn Manuel Hegelich, CEO at TAU Systems. “This experimental campaign at ELI-NP represents a critical step toward optimizing acceleration schemes and maximizing energy extraction for next-generation particle accelerators.”
By systematically varying gas target properties, acceleration distances and plasma conditions, scientists at UT Austin and TAU Systems, working in partnership with researchers at ELI NP expect to observe the fundamental constraints of self-guided LWFA and identify transitions to alternative acceleration mechanisms. Depending on the experimental parameters, the research team anticipates observing either a combination of LWFA and direct laser acceleration or a shift to plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA).
These transitions will be studied through detailed analysis of electron beam spectra, divergence, and the characteristics of betatron-like radiation emitted by the accelerated electrons.
"ELI-NP is home to the world's most powerful laser system, thus enabling new frontiers to be reached in the field of laser-plasma research and related applications" says Călin Alexandru Ur, Director of ELI-NP. "The development of innovative ideas is best fostered through worldwide scientific collaboration, and for this reason ELI-NP operates as a user facility open to the international scientific community, promoting excellence in research. The collaboration with experts at UT Austin and TAU Systems is expected to result in significant advancements in laser-driven particle acceleration that in turn will pave the way to new applications for the benefit of society".
The insights gained from this pioneering research will provide a foundation for optimizing LWFA techniques, ultimately contributing to the development of more compact and efficient high-energy particle accelerators. By leveraging ELI-NP’s unique capabilities, TAU Systems continues to drive innovation at the forefront of laser-driven acceleration technologies with potential applications in the space, semiconductor, and health industries.
“The implications of the experiment are massive. We could rewrite the electron acceleration scaling laws” said Calin Hojbota, Principal Investigator for the proposal and UT Austin representative. “The ELI-NP laser has the highest power of all available lasers, so this is the only location where we can test LWFA in such extreme conditions.
He continued: “From a fundamental physics perspective, this experiment will show us how to accelerate electrons to ultra-high energies, how to wiggle them to produce the brilliant gamma-ray beams and to prepare them for compact particle colliders. From a practical standpoint, these beams could find novel future applications, for example in mimicking space radiation or developing advanced muon scanners.”
About TAU Systems
TAU Systems is an Austin, Texas-based deep-tech company commercializing the first compact particle accelerators and specialized X-ray free-electron lasers that combine the capabilities of large accelerators with a small footprint to provide easy and affordable beam-time access for any company. Led by premier experts in laser-driven particle accelerators, TAU is democratizing access for the progress of semiconductors, batteries, medical imaging, nuclear energy, and more.
In 2023 TAU, together with the University of Texas reached a world record with the successful demonstration of an electron beam with an energy of 10 billion electron volts (10 GeV) generated in 10 centimeters.
Learn more at www.tausystems.com
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