Thales Signs 60 Million Euros Laser System Contract

Thales today signed a contract worth €60 million to develop a high-intensity laser system at the Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), Romania.

The Thales laser system will generate an unprecedented power level of 2 x 10 petawatts (10E15 watts) in ultrashort pulses. This type of laser paves the way for a new generation of extremely powerful particle accelerators, which will be smaller and less costly, for fundamental research in materials physics and for medical applications.

The contract is part of the Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) programme. As well as the high-intensity laser system, it includes a scientific and technical training agreement between the University Politehnica of Bucharest and Thales University. The laser will be operational in 2017.