Laserlab-Europe Newsletter #37: Cultural Heritage

Focus: Lasers and cultural heritage

From decoding ancient secrets to preserving iconic masterpieces, laser-based technologies continue to transform our understanding of cultural heritage. The laser experts from Laserlab-Europe have played a vital role in uncovering, understanding, and preserving Europe’s rich history. In this issue, we highlight remarkable projects that demonstrate the unique power of laser technologies to examine and preserve Europe’s cultural treasures for generations to come.

 

  • Seeing the invisible (CLF, United Kingdom)
  • Multi-scalar and multi-modal hyper-spectral imaging of artworks with the TWINS-based camera (POLIMI, Italy)
  • Emerging photonics technologies for remote and/or on-site monitoring of cultural heritage monuments and artefacts (IESL/FORTH, Greece)
  • Studying light-induced degradation mechanisms of dyes using a liquid-core waveguide (LaserLaB Amsterdam, Netherlands)
  • Attosecond sources for applications (LLC, Sweden)
  • Fast reaction kinetics in the context of cultural heritage (CLL, Portugal)

News

  • First-ever lab creation of electron-positron pair plasmas marks breakthrough in plasma physics
  • New energy record for next generation proton accelerators
  • Novel universal light-based technique to control valley polarisation in bulk materials
  • Scientists decipher the contribution of electrons to molecular chirality
  • Advancements in ultra-short laser technology: The petawatt system VEGA at CLPU
  • In memoriam: Karel Jungwirth

Access highlight

Simultaneous generation of high-frequency and high-pressure ultrasound waves through picosecond excitation of graphene-based materials

To gain a better understanding of a new series of graphene-based materials and test their efficiency, researchers at the Coimbra Laser Lab (CLL, Portugal) used picosecond pulsed laser sources for photoacoustic excitation, and high-frequency sensors and needle hydrophones for ultrasound detection.

ERC Grants

Congratulations to the five scientists who were recently awarded ERC grants, four receiving a Starting Grant, and one receiving an Advanced Grant:

  • Kasra Amini (MBI),
  • Jad C. Halimeh (MPQ),
  • Marco Piccardo (IST),
  • Guillermo González-Rubio (CLUR), and
  • Andrei Kirilyuk (FELIX)

Community news

  • RIANA: Call for proposals is open
  • ELI ERIC advances joint user programme and progresses with strategic partnerships

Editorial Team: Tracey Burge, Marina Fischer, Julia Michel, Daniela Stozno 

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