The CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), the University of Lille and the CNRS have joined forces to sign the creation of a research laboratory called "Systèmes Lasers Fibrés Energétiques" (SyLFE). The result of a long collaboration between the PhLAM laboratory (Physics of Lasers, Atoms and Molecules) and the Department of Power Lasers of the CEA CESTA (Centre d'Etudes Scientifiques et Techniques d'Aquitaine), SyLFE's objective is to develop the latest generation of high-energy fiber optic lasers and amplifiers dedicated to both advanced research and industrial applications.
High energy fiber systems for advanced research and industry
The unique manufacturing capabilities of the FiberTech plant in Lille will be used to develop high-power fiber lasers or amplifiers based on CEA CESTA's expertise in this field. SyLFE's work is part of the general context of the development of new fiber systems for the CEA Megajoule Laser. In addition, these research topics also meet the needs of industry in terms of applications for marking and laser cutting in particular. The performance of fiber lasers/amplifiers is now comparable to that of many solid-state devices, with the added advantage of being ultra-stable, easy to maintain and able to operate in hostile environments. They cover an ever-growing market share and the SyLFE laboratory is positioned as one of the major players in this performance race. This ambitious research project benefits from support from the CEA accompanied by the Aquitaine Region, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region, the "Photonics for Society" project of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais State-Region Plan Contract, the Labex CEMPI (European Center of Excellence Laboratory for Mathematics, Physics and their Interactions), and the EquipEx "FLUX (Optical Fibers for High Flux)".
Université de Lille – Oui à l’excellence
The grouping is made up of the University of Lille (the three Lille universities, which will merge by 2018), the three major research organizations (CNRS, Inria and Inserm) and the eight Grandes Ecoles (Ecole Centrale de Lille, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Industries Textiles, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille, Sciences Po Lille, Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme de Lille, Telecom Lille, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture et de Paysage de Lille and Ecole des Mines de Douai), along with their partners, including the Nord-Pas de Calais Region and the European Metropolis of Lille, are applying for an "IDEX" (Initiative of Excellence): After evaluation by an international jury, this label will be awarded in January 2016 by the State to university clusters of excellence with global ambitions. The IDEX-University of Lille grouping is one of three sites that qualified after the preselection phase that took place in April 2015, alongside Grenoble and Nice.
Who are the actors?
The Laboratory of Physics of Lasers, Atoms and Molecules (PHLAM) is a joint research unit of CNRS and the University of Lille. It is based in Villeneuve d'Ascq and brings together more than a hundred researchers and teacher-researchers who work on the use and development of lasers in order to better understand basic physics phenomena in the field of cold atoms, spectroscopy and optical fibers, and to meet application needs through numerous collaborations with companies.
The CESTA (Centre d'Etudes Scientifiques et Techniques d'Aquitaine), located in Le Barp, between Bordeaux and Arcachon, belongs to the Military Applications Directorate of the CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives). It is home to a laser infrastructure without equivalent in Europe that allows the study of the behavior of matter under extreme conditions: the Megajoule Laser (LMJ). This laser is designed to deliver a light energy of more than one million joules to a target of a few millimeters in a few billionths of a second. The LMJ was commissioned at the end of 2014, with a first experimental campaign. This infrastructure with the PETAL (PETtawatt Aquitaine Laser) beam offers an exceptional tool to the scientific community.
Learn more: www.univ-lille.fr