In 1964, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Charles Hard Townes, Nikolai Gennadievich Basov and Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov for fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which led to the construction of new oscillators and amplifiers. Their achievements meant the start of a new era, as lasers migrated from the realm of the laboratories into the industry and the world of everyday objects.
The first International Laser Physics Workshop was organized with active support from Alexander M. Prokhorov in the city of Dubna, Russia in 1992. It was the first event where leading international laser scientists could meet after the end of the Cold War.
The first workshop attracted 30 scientists from five countries. The 33rd, held in Szeged, was attended by over a hundred researchers from around the globe. (LPHYS’25 was part of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, a global initiative celebrating the publication of fundamental findings in the field 100 years ago.)
Participants of the conference, including Paul Corkum from Canada, who shared the 2022 Wolf Prize in Physics with Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier, also visited our research institute. In his welcome speech, our Managing Director, Gábor Szabó, emphasised that apart from being the winner of architectural awards, this magnificent facility is also a stronghold of laser research.
It is a user facility that attracts researchers from the furthest corners of the world, who leave Szeged satisfied after completing their experiments. Our Science Director, Katalin Varjú, talked about the equipment available and the research projects conducted at ELI ALPS. She said that the institute currently employs a hundred researchers from ten countries to provide user support. ELI ERIC will launch the next User Call in the second half of September.
Professor Sándor Varró gave a comprehensive overview of Hungarian and Hungarian-born physicists who played a major role in 20th century physics. Balázs Major, Senior Research Fellow, Head of the HR Attosources Group at ELI ALPS, and Subhendu Kahaly, Head of the Secondary Sources Division, spoke in detail about lasers.
After the talks, our guests could look at our lasers, e.g. the SYLOS and MIR lasers, as well as laboratories, including the nanofabrication and radiobiology units, in the framework of four guided tours.
Photos: Gábor Balázs