TAU Systems upgrades the University of Texas desktop laser to a peak power of 40 terawatts

TAU Systems, a manufacturer of ultra fast compact laser plasma accelerators, announced today that it has successfully upgraded the existing desktop terawatt laser (UT 3) at the University of Texas to a new and improved performance that provides power for compact particle accelerators. The upgraded UT 3 driver laser can now generate ultra short pulses with a peak power of 40 terawatts.

This upgrade is part of a collaboration between the University of Tel Aviv and the University of Texas at Austin, aimed at jointly developing the fundamental elements of laser plasma interaction, advancing the science and technology of compact accelerator systems and advanced light sources, with the goal of making these tools widely applicable to a wide range of end users and industries.

The upgraded UT 3 has almost twice the energy of its predecessor. This upgrade was jointly completed by personnel from TAU Systems and UT Austin, with the necessary components coming from Thales Laser. TAU has successfully achieved laser driven electronic acceleration in its new beam line design, demonstrating the new potential of the facility.

The system will now be used to develop compact new laser tail field accelerators, as well as EUV and X-ray light sources, for use in fields such as semiconductor industry, materials science, battery technology, medical imaging, etc.

Bjorn Manuel Hegelich, CEO of TAU Systems and Professor of UT Physics, said of the new features of UT 3, "After successfully completing this important UT 3 upgrade, we look forward to advancing the engineering frontier of laser driven particle accelerators. It will enable us to develop new imaging capabilities for both internal and external users of UT.

Professor Mike Downer, an outstanding physics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, also expressed the same view. He said, "The new research capabilities brought by this upgrade are exciting, and we look forward to further developing compact electron accelerators and 21st century X-ray sources.

Christine Dixon Thiessing, Vice President of the University of Texas at Austin, responsible for exploring influence, commented on the successful partnership between the university and TAU Systems, stating, "This successful project is a great example of public-private partnerships between the University of Texas at Austin and local cutting-edge industries, and also a great success story for a derivative company of the University of Texas at Austin.

The collaboration between TAU Systems and UT Austin highlights the importance of public-private partnerships in advancing scientific research and accelerating innovation.

This upgrade represents another important step in the commercial application of plasma tail field accelerators. TAU Systems plans to install a 100 times more powerful system at its recently acquired office in San Diego by the end of this year. The opening of this service center will create unprecedented opportunities for researchers in multiple fields, especially in the semiconductor manufacturing field, by exploring and measuring the 3D structure of semiconductors. The service center will also allow electric vehicle battery developers to conduct comprehensive research on battery charging and discharging.

Source: Laser Network