Description of the research infrastructure

The Extreme light infrastructure (ELI) is the first infrastructure in the world capable of the investigation of the interactions between light and matter with the highest intensity, in the so-called ultra-relativistic range. ELI is the first civilian large-scale high-power laser research facility to be realized with trans-European cooperation and the worldwide scientific community. Hungary, the Czech Republic and in a later phase Romania, with a coordinated management and research strategy, will simulta-neously implement the project through the construction of the three laser facilities with the respective mission in the attosecond, beamline and photonuclear applications. ELI ALPS and ELI Beamlines with other non-host partners have established ELI ERIC in April 2021.

Located in Szeged, south-east of Hungary, ELI ALPS, the attosecond pillar of the Extreme Light Infrastructure, is focused on making the shortest, most intense laser pulses at the highest repetition rate. The combination of ground-breaking light sources and subsequent outstanding secondary sources is available for fundamental, applied and proprietary research.

ELI ALPS offers more than just the use of a novel class of state-of-the-art laser systems. The unique combination of the outstanding laser pulses with the pioneering secondary sources technologies will open up new opportunities in experimental research.

Activities and Services

ELI ALPS, the Hungarian pillar of the Extreme Light Infrastructure, is dedicated to support fundamental and applied researches in physical, biological, chemical, medical and materials sciences at extreme short time scales. The ground-breaking laser systems together with the subsequent outstanding secondary sources generate the highest possible peak power at the highest possible repetition rate in a spectral range from the E-UV through visible and near infrared to THz. The facility – besides the regular scientific staff - will provide accessible research infrastructure for the international scientific community user groups from all around the world.

The equipment of the Extreme Light Infrastructure - Attosecond Light Pulse Source (ELI ALPS) Research Institute, as well as its procedures and the related applications significantly surpass the opportunity to generate attosecond light pulses. The key objectives of the institute include the generation of single cycle light pulses in a broad spectral range, their application for the investigation of the dynamics of ultrafast processes in the femto- and attosecond time regime, as well as the application of extremely strong laser fields for research in plasma physics (e.g. laboratory astrophysics), for laser induced particle acceleration (e.g. for the induction of the transmutation process), as well as for the investigation of light-matter interactions at extreme intensities. The generation of ultrashort electron or proton pulses with the help of lasers, or the injection of ultrafast charge carriers into semiconductors may open up several research paths in the fields of materials science, biomedicine or nanotechnology. The continuous development of the pool of instruments and that of related technologies and techniques (e.g. measurement techniques) is intended to support a wide range of applications.

Main Research Fields and Applications

ELI ALPS will be one of the leading lights in ultrafast physical processes as well as a world-class centre for generating outstanding biological, chemical, medical and materials science results.

The main research fields and applications at ELI-ALPS

• The development and parameterisation of attosecond light sources
  
• Biological imaging technologies; Medical applications
  
• Energy research: from solar cells to artificial photosynthesis
  
• High-peak power photonics