ELI - unique laser centre in Czech Republic

Břetislav Rus

Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Praha

The project Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) is part of a European plan to build a new generation of large research facilities selected by the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI).

The main goal of ELI is to create the latest laser equipment in the world. There will be accomplished and implemented research projects covering the interaction of light with matter at intensity being 10 times higher than currently achievable values. ELI will provide ultra-short laser pulses of a few femtoseconds (10^-15 fs) duration and give performance up to 10 PW.

ELI will bring new techniques for medical image-display and diagnostics, radiotherapy, tools for new materials developing and testing, latest in X-ray optics, etc.

ELI will also be an attractive platform for educating a new generation of PhD. students, scientists and engineers. The Czech Republic will become the host country for the top international research, which may attract further investment in advanced technologies with high added value.

ELI equals three laser centers combined under one heading.

The first facility (ELI Beamlines) will be located in the Czech Republic and will create a new generation of secondary sources for interdisciplinary applications in physics, medicine, biology and material sciences.

The second center (ELI Attosecond) is being arranged in Hungary and is to be focused on physics of ultrashort optical pulses in attosecond order.

And finally, the third center (ELI Nuclear Physics) aimed at photonuclear physics should be located in Romania.

The location of another infrastructure is currently being discussed.

ELI will be operated according to a new model designed for a consortium of European research infrastructures (ERIC). Members of the ELI-ERIC will become the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania (founding members) as well as the major partners of the project preparatory phase (ELI-PP): Germany, Great Britain, France and other countries.

Implementation of ELI in the Czech Republic is in charge of Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. It coordinates a national consortium ELI-CZ comprising 14 Czech universities and research institutes. Key support is provided by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and the Central Bohemia region.

ELI-CZ consortium groups together all of the Czech universities and scientific institutions interested in the ELI Project. Founded in January 2009, the Consortium stands as an evidence of a strong partnership between the academic and research institutions, and clearly demonstrates the common goal: building and operating the ELI international laser facility in the Czech Republic. Introducing new educational programmes (undergraduate, graduate, and PhD) that will be closely tied to the ELI scientific parameters, as well as raising awareness of the ELI Project and the laser sciences in general throughout the national academic community is the main mission of the Consortium ELI-CZ members.

Location

Dolní Břežany municipality in Central Bohemia region was selected as the most convenient location for the most intense laser in the world.

ELI International Beamlines will become an international infrastructure employing approx. 300 homeland and foreign member staff. In addition, it will be targeted by hundreds users and partners from all over Europe. Reasonable distance from the Prague airport and main highways were considered to be essential criteria whereas domestic scientific and industrial base is concentrated in the capital.

(the above text can be found on the ELI Web page - http://www.eli-beams.eu/)

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