Missions

The laboratory missions

As an academic research centre and a laser research infrastructure of national importance, LULI is carrying out several key missions for the benefit of the whole plasma physics community.

Research infrastructure, LULI is the national academic high-energy laser centre offering to the whole community access to competitive laser systems with durations ranging from a few nanoseconds to a few tens of femtoseconds, and to fully-equipped experimental areas, thus allowing the study of laser-plasma interaction and its applications, either in the high-energy-density regime (HDE) or at high intensities in the relativistic regime (UHI).

This mission includes:

1.    operation of the HDE laser and experimental platform LULI2000 on the Ecole Polytechnique campus and specific R&D activities which allow improving its performances and reliability in order to maintain its competitiveness within a rapidly evolving international scientific environment,
2.     operation of the national research infrastructure APOLLON (UHI laser and experimental areas) on the site of L’Orme des Merisiers, and
3.     prospective laser technology R&D activities, through which the lab was involved in the most ambitious projects launched these last years on high-energy lasers and plasmas in France and in Europe.

Research center in hot plasma physics, LULI is developing - in most cases in collaboration with well-known national and/or international research teams - research programs on radiation-matter interaction, plasmas and applications, addressing fields such laser fusion energy, laboratory astrophysics or planetology, particle and radiation secondary sources, shock-loaded material sciences, etc., while focusing on understanding the underlying fundamental physical mechanisms.

Thanks to its wide international expertise, to hands-on high-quality facilities and to an exceptional intellectual environment in Ecole Polytechnique and Sorbonne University, LULI is palying a key role for training  undergraduate students, PhDs and post-docs in laser and plasma physics.