Project title: IR reflective polymer/PCM encapsulations for rendering perovskite photovoltaics environmentally robust and efficient: aging, durability and efficiency studies through solar simulations, spectroscopy and ab initio analysis
Project ID: 2019-2.1.13-TÉT_IN-2020-00059
Project summary: The project aims at rendering an important category of cheap renewable energy, and third Generation of Solar Cells for commercialization and technology.
Goals: Organic perovskite materials are promising for photovoltaic devices (solar cells), particularly since they offer record efficiencies. However there are several bottlenecks to their practical utilization. This project will address many of the crucial barriers to technology. In particular, their thermal instability and moisture sensitivity, which leads to device degradation, are addressed systematically through proposed structural engineering and design modification in VIT, IIT-Chennai, and ELI ALPS, while improving its efficiency. Electronic structure evolution and ultrafast carrier dynamics for performance analysis will be evaluated in ELI ALPS. The work thus is enabled by robust complementary research.
Overall, goals of the project will be met via unique synergies of competencies and capacities that exist between Hungary and India.
Importance: Despite the abundance of sunlight as free resource, even solar rich nations rarely get more than 2% of their energy needs met by photovoltaics. Severe limitations arise from the cost, degradation, efficiency losses due to high ambient temperatures etc. Organic perovskite solar cells can offer means to achieve much improved, efficient scalable production, however pose crucial bottlenecks too. In this multifaceted proposal, we address and tackle synergistically, many of these issues, to ensure sustainable growth of renewable energy applications.
Outcome: The outcomes would have a multi-disciplinary impact, particularly relevant to the state of the art in photovoltaics, and will help both nations - Hungary and India to take a leadership role in this important area of immense societal and technological relevance.
Partner institute: Indian Institute of Technology
ELI ALPS budget: 45.717.856 HUF
Implementation period: 36 months
Beginning of project: 1 May 2021
End of project: 30 April 2024
Project title: Extreme strong laser and it's physics application
Project ID: 2020-1.2.4-TÉT-IPARI-2021-00018
Project summary: Over the last few decades, modern laser technology has been instrumental in the advancement of science and technology, allowing the development of novel light and particle sources (secondary sources) facilitating new industrial and scientific applications. Here, ELI-ALPS Research Institute and Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), Chinese Academy of Science are proposing a scientific collaboration project to investigate the Interactions of Ultra-intense Ultrashort laser pulses with Matter. Within this proposal, researchers would conduct joint laser physics experiments using the 5 PW SG-II laser at SIOM, and the 5 TW, 1 kHz SYLOS-2 laser of ELI ALPS, and the secondary sources driven by these lasers. This project would further strengthen the ongoing scientific collaboration between the institutions.
The next-generation multi-PW laser technology, optimization of the secondary sources (accelerated particles and XUV/X-rays) based on the surface plasma from solid targets and volume plasma from gas targets along with advanced diagnostics will be explored. Cutting edge technologies such as artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithms will be used in stabilizing and optimizing these secondary sources. The main objectives of this proposal are the use of the complementary technologies and expertise of the institutes, to study secondary particles and radiation sources via novel target designs.
Both parties are expected to benefit significantly from the experiments. Working on the SG-II laser would allow ELI ALPS researchers to prepare for the laser-plasma research relevant to the HF-PW system which is under construction at ELI-ALPS. The Chinese partners would have access to experiments with an unprecedented control of laser parameters in relativistic laser-plasma research. The expected results would also enhance the secondary source parameters driven by the lasers, improving the capabilities offered to the scientific and industrial user community.
Partner institute: Sanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academic of Science
ELI ALPS budget: 69.954.757 HUF
Implementation period: 36 months
Beginning of project: 1 January 2022
End of project: 31 December 2024
Project title: Exploring Resonant Strong-Field Phenomena with Intense Tunable Narrowband THz Sources
Project ID: ANN 139483
Project summary: The terahertz (THz) frequency range is located between the infrared and the microwave ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. THz radiation interacts with various degrees of freedom in matter, such as molecular rotations, conformational changes in large biomolecules, vibrations of chemical bonds and crystal lattices, and spin (related to magnetization). THz radiation with tunable frequency and narrow bandwidth is particularly useful to selectively study these interactions. Currently, large-scale facilities, called free-electron lasers, can deliver suitable THz pulses, whereas laser-based tabletop THz sources with picoseconds long pulses and high spectral brightness are lacking.This research aims at developing intense narrow band THz sources, driven by shaped laser pulses, which can provide stable, programmable THz electric field waveforms. Conventional THz spectroscopic methods rely on measuring the time-dependent electric field of the pulse. This is time consuming, especially when high spectral resolution is needed, and requires sophisticated setups. The new sources developed here offer low-noise absorption spectroscopy by simple bolometric detection, suitable for applications in chemistry, medicine, and spectrally resolved imaging. Furthermore, the high spectral intensity will open up new applications involving strongly driven resonant interactions. Examples are the enhanced control of molecular rotations for steering chemical reactions, THz stimulated Raman scattering for tracing intermolecular interactions, and coupling to a cavity field to form new states of matter. These methods can also extend the scope of molecular dynamics studies at ELI ALPS.
Partner institute: Vienna University of Technology
ELI ALPS budget: 35.125.000 HUF
Project period: 36 months
Beginning of project: 1 December 2021
End of project: 30 November 2024
Project title: Research of ultrashort, high intensity laser/secondary sources and applications
Project ID number: 2018-2.1.14-TÉT-CN-2018-00040
Project summary: ELI-ALPS in Hungary and SIOM in China are proposing a joint scientific collaboration investigating the interaction of an ultra-intense laser pulse with matter, within the broader framework of developing secondary photon and particle sources, and laser technology cooperation. ELI-ALPS researchers will visit SIOM to conduct experiment on the ultrahigh power (5 PW) SG-II laser, one of the first ultrafast laser system with multi-PW power, while visiting SIOM scientist will use the SYLOS-2 laser, a carrier envelope phase (CEP) stabilized 5 TW few-cycle laser, at a 1 kHz repetition rate, unprecedented for similar systems.
The project will take advantage of the complementary characteristics of the lasers available at SIOM (high-peak power) and ELI-ALPS (high-repetition rate and ultrashort pulse duration). One of the main processes investigated would be Solid High Harmonics Generation, where the laser tightly focused on a solid target provides coherent XUV/x-ray photons, up to an estimated 60 eV energy at ELI-ALPS and an estimated 400 eV at SIOM. The second process is laser wakefield acceleration, where the focused laser interacts with a low density gas target, accelerating electrons to relativistic (up to 50 MeV at ELI-ALPS) and ultrarelativistic energies (over 4 GeV at SIOM). In the latter case, the betatron radiation accompanying the electron beam would provide a strongly collimated hard x-ray beam with a peak spectral intensity above 50 keV photon energy.
The end-goal of these visits would be to investigate such novel photon/particle generation methods from ultra-intense lasers aiming at applications, such as radiobiology, 3D microtomography, and material science. Due to the mutual knowledge exchange, ELI-ALPS will be able to use the experience gained on the SG-II laser on designing experiments for its own 2 PW laser under realization, and SIOM will be able to utilize the experience in developing its own laser-driven high repetition-rate secondary sources.
ELI ALPS budget: 5.000.000 HUF
Implementation period: 36 months
Beginning of project: 1 July 2019
End of project: 30 June 2022
Project title: EUCALL
Project ID number: 654220 — EUCALL H2020-INFRADEV-2014-2015/H2020-INFRADEV-1-2014-1
Project full name: European Cluster for Advanced Laser Light Sources
Website: www.eucall.eu
Project content: Cluster for laser research centres (FEL, synchrotron, optical lasers), common methodology elaboration, research projects. ALPS is involved as linked third party
Tender form: Horizon 2020
Subsidy intensity: 100%
Consortium members:
1 - European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility GmbH (XFEL)
2 - Stiftung Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Desy (DESY)
3 - Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A. (ELETTRA)
4 - Association Internationale Extreme-Light-Infrastructure Delivery Consortium (ELI-DC)
5 - Installation europeenne de rayonnement synchrotron (ESRF)
6 - Helmotz-Zentrum Dresden-Rosendorf EV (HZDR)
7 - Lunds Universitet (LU)
8 - Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)
Total budget: 7.466.800 EUR
ELI ALPS budget: 313.750 EUR
Downpayment budget: 0 EUR
Implementation period: 36 months
Beginning of project: 1 October 2015
End of project: 30 September 2018
Project title: IT ELLI
Project ID number: IT ELLI - ERASMUS + 2015-1-FR01-KA203-015144
Project full name: Innovative training and education for large laser infrastructures
Website: www.it-elli.org
Project content: Consortium for laser research centres, training professionals to start operation at ELI, elaboration of common protocols (laser safety program, nuclear radiation safety)
Tender form: ERASMUS+
Subsidy intensity: 100%
Consortium members:
1 - Université de Bordeaux (UB)
2 - Adera (FR)
3 - IDSC Group (FR)
4 - Ecole Politechnique (FR)
5 - Institutul National de Cercetare – Dezvoltare Pentru Fizica Si Inginerie Nucleara (IFIN-HH)
6 - ELI-HU Non-Profit Ltd.
7 - Fyzikalni Ustav Av Cr V.V.I (IP-ASCR)
8 - ELI-DC
9 - Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK)
10 - University of Szeged
Total budget: 435.453 EUR
ELI ALPS budget: 42.185 EUR
Downpayment budget: 0 EUR
Implementation period: 36 months
Beginning of project: 1 September 2015
End of project: 31 August 2018