Fyzikální ústav Akademie věd ČR

The department participates in operation and research activity of the Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS), a modern European experimental research site, which operates unique sources of electromagnetic laser field, namely high-energy pulses of an iodine photodissociation laser, an X-ray laser, and a femtosecond laser. The laser fields induce plasma of a sample at a target in an evacuated interaction chamber (pressure <10^–5 Pa), where the laser-plasma interaction is studied.

The iodine laser parameters in a target area has a wavelength of 1315 nm, and its harmonics (657 nm, 437 nm a 328 nm), kilojoule pulse energy, a pulsewidth of 350 ps, peak power of 1TW, and peak intensity on the target 10 PW/cm². The wavelength of the zinc X-ray laser is 21 nm, a pulsewidth is about 100 ps, and peak power near 0,1 GW. Peak power of the femtosecond laser with a repetition rate of 1 kHz and a pulsewidth of 35 fs at a central wavelength of 810 nm will be amplified from 30 GW to 50 TW in future.

The PALS, a joint laboratory of Institute of Physics of AS CR, v. v. i., and Institute of Plasma Physics of AS CR, v. v. i., belongs, as a member of the LASERLAB EUROPE III consortium, to a laser network, including the biggest European lasers. Under the Access activity of the 7th framework program of EU, the consortium offers experimental capacities of its lasers to experiments of various scientific teams from EU or associated countries.

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Research program of the department in the physical fields of laser plasma, high-power lasers, and a development of physical diagnostics prospers from an experimental background of the PALS, which supports also both our and university students. The scientific results are also used in an application domain.

A research of the laser interactions in plasma media is focused at efficient laser generation of sources of highly-charged ion beams. A research of the laser beam interactions in another optical media is connected with a development of key elements of the iodine laser, the oscillator and amplifiers, or special devices measuring properties of the laser plasma or laser fields.