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MOMENTUM OF INNOVATION

7.4. PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING

ELI-ALPS (EXTREME LIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE-ATTOSECOND LIGHT PULSE) RESEARCH
INFRASTRUCTURES GROUP

Presentation of the RI group
The primary objective of the ELI Attosecond Light Pulse Source (ELI-ALPS) is to provide a wide spectrum of ultra-
short pulse light sources to the international research community in the spectral range from soft x-rays (keV) to far-in-
frared (THz). The secondary objective of the facility is the scientific and technological development of lasers with high
and/or average peak power. The ELI-ALPS equipment primarily enables basic research in physics, chemistry, materials
science and biomedical sciences, but it will also be used for applied research and – as a ripple effect – for industrial ap-
plication purposes.
The planned research infrastructure, currently under construction, will be able to produce and transmit few-cycle light
pulses onto target objects with high reliability and stability. Depending on the spectral range, the absolute time length
of these pulses ranges from a few attoseconds (soft x-ray range) to a few picoseconds (THz). The extraordinary photon
fluxes of the attosecond pulses of ELI-ALPS enable experimental research on the latest issues of atomic, molecular and
optical (AMO) physics. Pairs of excitation and probe pulses enable the observation of elemental ultra-fast processes in
molecules and atoms and the typically charge dynamics processes on the surface of solids and in biological molecules.
Besides examining atomic and molecular systems, these devices are also suitable for studying the collective excitation
dynamics of solids and various linked systems. The extreme ultraviolet and x-ray pulses also enable biological, medical
and materials science experiments.
The ultra-high temporal resolution provides significant additional research opportunities: the joint application of the
attosecond “toolset” and the standard structural imaging techniques. Along a more advanced pathway and since diffrac-
tion of x-ray radiation provides high spatial resolution, the combined temporal and spatial resolution provided by the
ELI-ALPS sources holds promise in visualizing ultrafast structural dynamics at the sub-fs and nm scales. Furthermore,
the coexistence of attosecond pulses and PW-class lasers enables the analysis of relativistic light-matter interactions in
time. The resulting new plasma diagnostic tools are particularly useful in understanding laser-driven particle acceleration,
which can be used, for example, in medical applications and in the better understanding of inertial fusion energy – to
name just a few important fields of application. Last but not least, the examination of interactions between the intense,
high-frequency THz fields (as special secondary sources) and materials will also be possible, in synergy with the main
attosecond research direction of the facility.

National coordinator of the RI group: Background information
ELI-HU Non-Profit Ltd. The ELI programme is implemented in three sites. The Attosecond
Light Pulse Source (ELI-ALPS) research institute (Szeged, Hungary)
Contact: Károly Osvay hosts experiments on extremely short processes unfolding in atoms
E-mail:karoly.osvay@eli-alps.hu and molecules; the ELI-beamline (Czech Republic) focuses on gen-
Website: https://www.eli-alps.hu/ erating short-pulse X-rays and on particle acceleration; and the ELI-
NP (Romania) examines fundamental nuclear questions with
Partners: University of Szeged ultra-powerful optical and gamma pulses . The three partner institu-
tions – acting as a consortium – provide experimental research op-
ESFRI connection: ELI-ERIC portunities to national, European and international users, this way it
functions as a “user facility”.
Status of the RI group: under implementation, gradual commissioning
from late 2017 Aim of the RI group
The attosecond research facility in Szeged provides a suitable envi-
ronment for the laboratory-scale development of special high-energy
laser systems to industrial partners, but the laser generation process
in itself can bring innovation and economic benefits in many areas.

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