Laserlab-Europe’s Post

Why do powerful laser optics need to be so large? The largest optics used in laser systems, particularly those in high-power petawatt lasers, are engineering marvels that can reach sizes of several meters. These massive optics are essential for managing and directing the intense energy produced by these powerful lasers. The precision required in manufacturing and aligning these large-scale optics rivals that of astronomical telescopes, reflecting a high level of craftsmanship and technological sophistication. The photo features our current MEC laser at #LCLS at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory with Eric Cunningham aligning some ‘smaller’ optics. #LaserTechnology #HighPowerLasers #OpticsEngineering #PetawattLasers #PrecisionEngineering #LaserScience #Photonics #EngineeringMarvels #SLAC #StanfordScience #LCLS #ScientificResearch

Have you ever wondered how extreme cold can significantly improve the capabilities of optical systems? At #Thales, we don't just work with #cryogenics, we transform each Kelvin into a gateway of technological innovation. Our cutting-edge cooling technologies are rewriting the rules of photonic instrumentation, enabling sensor systems that capture light with unprecedented precision and sensitivity. Imagine optical systems where thermal noise becomes a distant memory. Our engineers have developed cooling technologies that push the boundaries of infrared imaging, quantum technologies, and spectral detection. From space satellites to advanced military optics, our cryogenic solutions are the hidden catalyst that transforms theoretical physics into tangible technological breakthroughs.   🌐 Meet us at SPIE Photonics West 2025 📍 Stand 3302, Hall DE 🗓️ Currently exhibiting until January 30th   Come and discover how we're turning extreme cold into the future of optical performance ! Find out more about our cryogenics activities on our web page : https://lnkd.in/eMA2F8xV #SPIEPhotonicsWest #ThalesCryogenics #Photonics

📣 Register now for our upcoming Laserlab-Europe Talk on Wednesday: ‘𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀’ by Jonas B. Ohland (GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research) 📅 18 December 2024, 4:00pm CET 📌 Register now: https://lnkd.in/eXU4hJgn 🎬 Watch all previous Laserlab-Europe Talks on our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eHTvBdiw The Apollon Real-Time Adaptive Optics (#ARTAO) system addresses air turbulence-induced Strehl ratio fluctuations in #Apollon, the 10 PW Ti:Sapphire #laser system in France. With a 50 m multi-pass amplifier and a 140 mm beam diameter, turbulence previously caused significant beam quality instability. To resolve this, the open-source AO platform #CACAO, originally developed for the Subaru Observatory, was adapted for real-time beam stabilization using a continuous pilot beam. This marks a pioneering application of astronomical AO technology in ultra-high-intensity #lasers. Supported by the EC funded THRILL Project under its wavefront stabilization task, ARTAO demonstrates a stability sufficient to achieve an on-shot Strehl ratio above 0.96 by evaluating 2.6 thousand wavefronts per second and controlling a deformable mirror at 1.3 kHz. This technology has great potential for future applications: in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) powerplants, real-time AO will be indispensable for operating hundreds of laser beamlines at 10 Hz, delivering MJ-scale pulses with minimal aberrations. By integrating AO into Adaptive Laser Architecture (ALA), these systems can overcome thermal challenges and meet the demands of fusion energy production. This presentation will detail ARTAO’s development, initial results, and its potential role in the future of high-energy laser systems.

📃Scientific paper: The space coronagraph optical bench \(SCoOB\): 4. vacuum performance of a high contrast imaging testbed Abstract: The Space Coronagraph Optical Bench \(SCoOB\) is a high-contrast imaging testbed built to demonstrate starlight suppression techniques at visible wavelengths in a space-like vacuum environment. The testbed is designed to achieve $\{\<\}10^\{-8\}$ contrast from $3-10\lambda/D$ in a one-sided dark hole using a liquid crystal vector vortex waveplate and a 952-actuator Kilo-C deformable mirror \(DM\) from Boston Micromachines \(BMC\). We have recently expanded the testbed to include a field stop for mitigation of stray/scattered light, a precision-fabricated pinhole in the source simulator, a Minus K passive vibration isolation table for jitter reduction, and a low-noise vacuum-compatible CMOS sensor. We report the latest contrast performance achieved using implicit electric field conjugation \(iEFC\) at a vacuum of $\{\sim\}10^\{-6\}$ Torr and over a range of bandpasses with central wavelengths from 500 to 650nm and bandwidths \(BW\) from $\ll 1\%$ to 15\%. Our jitter in vacuum is $\<3\times10^\{-3\} \lambda/D$, and the best contrast performance to-date in a half-sided D-shaped dark hole is $2.2\times10^\{-9\}$ in a $\ll 1 \%$ BW, $4\times10^\{-9\}$ in a 2\% BW, and $2.5\times10^\{-8\}$ in a 15\% BW. ;Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024 Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/gb9h ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

For nearly 50 years, CCD has ruled in astronomy and electronics, but CMOS is rising fast. Unsure which is right for you? This guide breaks down the evolution, workings, and advantages of both, helping you navigate the sensor landscape. Download the guide here: https://lnkd.in/e5FKUwYv #DiffractionLimited #AstronomicalImaging #AstronomyPhotography #TelescopeImaging #Astrophotography #CosmicImaging #SpacePhotography

✨ Tiny but mighty! Optical nanofiber tips with diameters less than 500 nm are here, offering unprecedented electromagnetic field confinement. From quantum optics to advanced sensing, the future of photonics looks bright! Want to know more? DM us! #QuantumTech #Photonics #NanotechnologyRevolution

New Paper out!   Demonstration of a room-temperature single-photon quantum memory!   Benjamin Maaß from the department Terahertz and Laser Spectroscopy @ DLR Institut für Optische Sensorsysteme is first author of a publication on this topic with our partners from the group of Stephan Reitzenstein at the Technische Universität Berlin.   The article with the title: “Room-temperature ladder-type optical memory compatible with single photons from semiconductor quantum dots.”, published in the journal Phys. Rev. Appl., describes a comprehensive performance characterization and shows the compatibility of a ladder-type atomic memory from DLR with state-of-the-art quantum dot single-photon sources.   The complete paper, which has been highlighted as an editors suggestion, is available at: https://lnkd.in/e9AKTh9b #teamwork #space #robotic #Quantumtechnology #SinglePhoton

We are excited to announce a groundbreaking advancement in photodiode technology, recently published in the SPIE conference proceedings. Researchers from The University of Sheffield, The Ohio State University, and other leading institutions have developed a highly efficient GaAsSb/AlGaAsSb avalanche photodiode (APD) for 1550 nm detection at room temperature. This improved device has lower dark current and higher multiplication compared to the work our team published in Optica in 2023. This new APD demonstrates: High multiplication factor: Achieving a multiplication (M) greater than 1200. Low noise: Exhibiting an excess noise factor (F) less than 7 at M=200, F<2 at M<30. Dark current: Reduced from 400nA to 200nA at M=10 for a 200um device. significantly outperforming commercially available devices. Superior performance: Over 40 times improvement in maximum achievable multiplication and 6.5 times lower excess noise compared to InGaAs/InP devices. These advancements make this APD an ideal choice for applications in LiDAR and free-space communication, where high sensitivity and low noise are crucial. #Innovation #Photonics #Research #Engineering #LiDAR #Communication #Technology Feel free to connect with the corresponding authors for more insights: Xiao Jin (xjin4@outlook.com) For detailed information, read the full paper: "Very High Gain and Low Noise GaAsSb/AlGaAsSb Avalanche Photodiodes for 1550nm Detection at Room Temperature" https://lnkd.in/eTmMZ5br

An Optics Express [#OPG_OpEx] study from the University of Toronto presents results toward realizing an adaptive optics system without a deformable mirror for free-space optical receivers: https://bit.ly/3Wwtl7D The research team proposes a photonic integrated circuit capable of spatially sampling the wavefront collected by the telescope and co-phasing the subapertures to maximize the flux delivered to an output single-mode fiber as the integrated photonic implementation of a deformable mirror. During their research, they performed simulations to predict the total optical power delivered by silicon photonics wavefront correctors designed to efficiently couple light into single-mode fibers in the presence of atmospheric turbulence. Written by: Dhwanil Patel, Momen Diab, Ross Cheriton, Jacob Taylor, Libertad Rojas, Martin Vachon, Dan-Xia Xu, Jens H. Schmid, Pavel Cheben, Siegfried Janz, and Suresh Sivanandam #photonics #physics #lightscience #optics

🔭 What do an optical profiler and a gravitational waves sensor have in common? 🌌 In celebration of the #InternationalDayofAstronomy on October 12, let's explore the surprising connection between microscopes 🔬 and gravitational wave sensors 🌠. Both rely on the same powerful physical principle: wave superposition, which is used in interferometry. In microscopes, #interferometry helps pinpoint the exact focal point of a surface's topography. Meanwhile, in Virgo's gravitational sensor, interferometry detects distortions in light caused by massive cosmic events, such as the formation of black holes 🕳️. Even more exciting, our interferometry technology has been used to enhance certain parts of VIRGO's interferometer—manufactured by IFAE —helping push the boundaries of gravitational wave detection 🚀. Curious to know more? Check out our case study with IFAE ➡️https://lnkd.in/eJ2RUx8T