Reviewed by Lexie CornerDec 5 2024
Clara Saraceno, Professor of Photonics and Ultrafast Laser Science at Ruhr University Bochum, is leading the EXPLORE project to develop ultrafast lasers that can alter plasma properties. This would enable small laser sources to generate previously unreachable light more energy-efficiently.
Clara Saraceno is delighted to be able to open up a new field of research thanks to the ERC funding. Image Credit: RUB, Kramer
With funding from an ERC Consolidator Grant, Saraceno aims to create new methods for modifying air plasma composition using ultrafast lasers. This could not only improve light generation but also transform other scientific fields.
Plasmas, often created with lasers, are used to generate waves in hard-to-reach areas of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, the current methods require complex and energy-intensive laser sources.
The five-year Consolidator Grant, which provides €2.2 million in funding, will support the development of these new techniques.
Optical materials are fundamental to science and technology, as they allow researchers to control light and access the full electromagnetic spectrum, from Terahertz (THz) waves to X-rays. Plasmas are commonly used as optical materials, but accessing their nonlinear responses typically requires high input light intensities, which often necessitate complex, high-energy laser systems.
The EXPLORE project presents a new approach to modifying the chemical composition of plasma using brief, low-energy light pulses spaced closely together in time. This method aims to produce plasma optical properties that can be adjusted and reconfigured.
In EXPLORE, we aim to use these improved plasmas to generate and detect Terahertz radiation with performance that is currently impossible to achieve, and with very compact laser sources.
Clara Saraceno, Professor, Ruhr University Bochum
This could significantly impact various fields that use atmospheric plasmas, including atmospheric science and catalysis, as well as advancing light generation and nonlinear optics.
The researcher concluded, “The ERC Consolidator Grant will allow me to enter a new field of research bridging plasma, materials, chemistry, and laser science while giving us the freedom necessary to explore this risky idea with state-of-the-art tools needed to tackle this complex problem.”