BEETLE - ultrashort pulse lasers for the industrial application of laser plasma accelerators

Laser-based secondary radiation is becoming an increasingly significant key technology for Germany as a hub of industry and innovation. Femtosecond lasers can be implemented in industry and are simultaneously energy-efficient with high pulse energy and also have a high average power. These lasers enable the scaled use of secondary beam sources. This opens up a wide range of possible applications, including targeted and effective tumor therapy in the medical field as well as in drug development and the examination of various materials.

The BEETLE project is a cooperation between DESY, TRUMPF Scientific Lasers GmbH + Co KG, Active Fiber Systems GmbH, the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, and the affiliated partner Fehrmann GmbH. The aim of the project is to accelerate the further development of this technology to market maturity. The innovation is based on the additional reduction of the pulse length (compression) of established industrial ytterbium-based ultrashort pulse lasers with pulse durations of several 100 to a mere 10 femtoseconds. A new method, for which a patent application is in preparation, enables this pulse compression in a particularly compact and practical size without impairing the other advantageous properties of ytterbium lasers. The aim is to expedite the market entry of laser plasma acceleration and its applications in radiological medicine.

The project is being funded as part of the program “Neuartige photonische Werkzeuge für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft – Laserbasierte Hochenergie-Strahlquellen“ of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with funding value of 7,8 million euros (60,60 per cent from BMBF). With this funding initiative, the BMBF is pursuing the goal of supporting the transfer of innovative research results in the key technology photonics and thus making important contributions to innovative strength and competitiveness as well as to overcoming social challenges in the areas of health, digitalization, and sustainability.

The BEETLE project is an excellent example of how different companies can benefit from direct collaboration with research centers. The Hi-Acts innovation platform works specifically to initiate such collaborations with various players along the value chain. BEETLE partners TRUMPF, the UKE and Fehrmann are all part of the innovation platform, which focuses in particular on laser plasma accelerators as a key technology. The objectives of the BEETLE project complement each other perfectly with the energy stability aimed for in the Hi-Acts Technology Lab "(Novel) Compact Laser Plasma Accelerators", which is particularly important for commercial applications. Through the Technology Lab, which bundles technological know-how, and the growing industry network, which brings dedicated industry expertise from a wide range of sectors, Hi-Acts provides a unique environment for joint piloting and feedback/exchange. This can result in large projects such as BEETLE in terms of a holistic innovation strategy. BEETLE is therefore a prime example of the acceleration of transfer that Hi-Acts strives for.