A flash that lasts less than a wing beat … and yet, for the first time, researchers have managed to capture it in one cliché. Thanks to a brilliant idea, the most extreme light becomes visible. A step forward that could transform research on nuclear mergerTHE plasmas and particles.
Raven manages to photograph an ultra-powerful laser beam in a single
Observe a laser pétawattit’s like wanting to photograph a flash in a glass of water. Too short, too intense, too unstable.
But a device called RAVEN (pour Real-time Acquisition of Vectorial Electromagnetic Near-fields) has just changed the situation. Designed by a team ofOxfordwith university support Ludwig Maximilian from Munich and Max Planck Instituteit allows freeze in a single impulse.
Its operation is based on a simple idea. The beam is divided into two: a half crosses a cristal To analyze his polarisationthe other measures its spectral variations. Then a microolate grid Decomposes light as a topographic map.
Thanks to a optical detectorall of the data is captured instantly. Finally, a neurons network reconstructs a three -dimensional image of the radius: shape, orientation, color, intensity.
During the first tests on the laser ATLAS‑3000 (3 Petawatts), Raven has highlighted fine Spatio-temporal distortions. These irregularities, so far invisible, can however disrupt entire experiences.
Nuclear merger gains in precision, stability and control thanks to this technology
In the experiences of Fusion by inertial containmentevery detail counts. A variation of a micron, an imperfect polarization, and the experience fails.
So far, researchers had to accumulate dozens of shots To reconstruct the behavior of the radius. From now on, Raven provides a complete image from the first try. And above all, he does it in real timewhich radically changes the situation.
This change opens major perspectives:
- In plasma physicsit makes it possible to stabilize the extreme conditions.
- In theParticle accelerationit ensures better beam control.
- In quantum opticsit makes the observation of still theoretical phenomena possible, such as theInteraction between photons in a vacuum.
The whole process then becomes faster, more reliableand above all plus optimisable. A real break in the way of exploiting the most powerful lasers in the world.
A light, fast technology, and already ready to upset several areas
According to Andreas Baptismone of the co-authors of the project, “these ultra-powerful impulses are so confined that they do not need a complex analysis system. »»
In other words, the extreme power of the radius allows a simpler reading than expected. Just a few microlentillesof a well -placed detectorand a littleartificial intelligence Well calibrated to reveal what no one had ever seen.
This project was born during a stay of Sunny Howarddoctoral student in Oxford, in Munich. In a few months, the team designed a compact device Capable of Call an extreme power luminous beam.
An extreme light that has become readable, a revolution ready to extend
Long, the Petawatt bundles have escaped any form of direct visualization. They went too fast, emitted too hard, lasted too little.
Thanks to RAVENthis light finally becomes observable, analysable, exploitable. We no longer just imagine what’s going on. We see it. And above all, we can correct it.
The team is already preparing new tests in other infrastructure. She wants to apply this method to even more energetic beams, or to experiences multi-generation.
It is no longer just a demonstration tool. It is a operational technologyready to permanently change the way we work with the most powerful light ever produced in the laboratory.