X-ray lasers based on free-electron lasers (XFELs) allow matter to be observed on atomic spatial and temporal scales. They exploit the ability of accelerated, high-energy electrons to emit high-intensity, short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation in the X-ray range under certain conditions. Existing XFEL facilities rely on conventional particle accelerators: kilometre-long, billion-euro research infrastructure that is only available at a handful of sites worldwide.
Professor Dr Bernhard Hidding, who leads the strong-field laser physics research group at HHU, is pursuing a fundamentally different approach. He uses laser beams to generate plasmas in which particles are accelerated over extremely short distances. Hidding: “Building on key advances made at our institute, we can construct particle accelerators that are a thousand times more compact and at the same time produce electron beams that are up to 100,000 times brighter.”
The NEXLIGHT project aims to pave the way for the industrial use of compact X-ray lasers based on this technology. The European “Proof of Concept Grant” scheme that is funding the project is exclusively for researchers who have already achieved the necessary scientific breakthroughs with an “ERC Frontier Research Grant”. In the case of NEXLIGHT, this requirement was fulfilled by Hidding’s ERC project NeXource in which he and his team demonstrated how XFELs could in future be built on a much smaller scale and at a fraction of the cost.
Hidding: “Compact XFELs based on our laser-plasma particle accelerators could fundamentally transform access to X-ray laser radiation. One possibility would be flexible regional centres for research, medicine and industry, each with its own XFEL systems. This would open up opportunities for new applications – some of which were not possible previously – in fields such as biomedicine and drug discovery, materials and semiconductor research as well as energy and fusion research.”
With NEXLIGHT, the Düsseldorf-based researchers hope to achieve for X-rays what lasers made possible for visible light: a versatile, extremely powerful tool for science and industry that is readily available. “This project is a huge opportunity for North Rhine-Westphalia as a hub for science and deep tech as well as for all of us here at HHU’s ARCTURUS Laser-Plasma Facility,” Hidding emphasises.
At HHU, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Düsseldorf (CEDUS) and the “Gateway Factory” will support the research team and help it safeguard its intellectual property and set up a company by developing potential applications and commercialisation opportunities for the technology. The two institutions will also provide guidance on business models and start-up activities.
ERC Proof of Concept Grants
Pioneering research often gives rise to radically new ideas that drive innovation and entrepreneurial creativity while helping to address societal challenges. The ERC funding programme aims to explore the commercial and societal innovation potential of ERC-funded research. The value of the cutting-edge research funded by the ERC should be maximised by funding follow-up work that was not envisaged in the previous grant.
More information: ERC web pages
