High-power lasers are used worldwide for a very wide range of applications. To cite a few of them, nanosecond terawatt-scale power laser facilities are employed for the research on clean energy production, in the context of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), while picosecond and femtosecond petawatt-scale power lasers are used for the acceleration of charged particle (electrons and protons in particular) and for the generation of bright XUV and X-ray sources. In all these situations, the choice of the material constituting the target is crucial to improve the experimental performances. Micro and nano-structured materials are the subject of an intense research activity by the international community due to the advantages they offer for the mentioned applications.

The present expert group comprises members of Laserlab-Europe AISBL with strong common research interests and expertise in the experimental study of the features of the interaction of micro- and nano-structured materials with high power lasers. Their common interest in these research topics over multiple experimental grounds is driving our efforts towards the organization of joint activities and collaborations.

For additional information on the Expert Group please contact Mattia Cipriani (ENEA).

The modeling of the interaction of the high-power laser pulse with the material is of fundamental importance in determining which physical processes are involved in the interaction and in exploiting the capabilities of the material for specific applications. This WP focuses on promoting the collaboration among the members for developing numerical models and codes dedicated to reproducing the physics of the high-power laser irradiation of the micro- and nano-structured materials.

The characterization of the features of nano/micro structured materials under action of ns and high-power ps/fs laser irradiation is important for understanding the physics of the interaction and for developing applications of these materials in research on ICF, HED and laser-driven particle acceleration. This WP has the purpose of promoting the collaboration among the members to perform experimental campaigns, encouraging the preparation of joint proposals for facilities with competitive access. This WP also fosters the communication among the members to develop new applications of micro- and nano-structured materials and improve the already established ones.

• CELIA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications, University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux, France
• CLF, Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, STFC, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
• CLPU, Centro de Laseres Pulsados, Salamanca, Spain
• ENEA-ABC, ENEA – Centro Ricerche Frascati, ABC Facility, Frascati, Italy
• GSI, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung Darmstadt, Germany
• HIJ, Helmholtz Institute Jena, Germany
• HILASE, Hilase, Dolni Břežany, Czech Republic
• HZDR, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf, Germany
• ILC SCSTI, International Laser Centre, Bratislava, Slovakia
• INFLPR, National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Bucharest, Romania
• IPHT, Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien, Jena, Germany
• Laserlab DK, Danish Center for Laser Infrastructure, Aarhus Universitet, Denmark
• LULI, Laboratoire pour l’Utilisation des Lasers Intenses, CNRS, Palaiseau, France
• MUT-IOE, Military University of Technology, Institute of Optoelectronics, Warsaw, Poland
• ORION, Orion, Aldermaston, Reading, UK
• PALS, Prague Asterix Laser System, Institute of Plasma Physics, Prague, Czech Republic
• VULRC, Quantum Electronics Department and Laser Research Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania