The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) has selected Amplitude to provide the first 1PW, 1Hz laser system in India

TIFR has selected Amplitude once again for providing a ultrahigh intensity laser, now a PW laser system, one of the two  most powerful lasers in India. This high-intensity laser system to be installed at TIFR’s   new campus at Hyderabad will be  used to investigate fundamental science  and related applications.

TIFR has been pursuing intense laser-driven basic plasma science for over two decades. The upcoming petawatt laser from Amplitude is an extension of the current fundamental plasma science research activities to the ultrahigh intensity regimes. The spectrum of physics that would be probed with petawatt lasers covers diverse areas such as atomic and molecular physics, relativistic plasma dynamics, warm dense matter, and high-energy particle physics.

The focus of the group is basic research and the questions addressed therefore are of the ‘blue sky’ variety stressing the fundamentals of intense laser-matter interaction. A particularly important area will be particle acceleration and related physics. Attention will also be paid to the applications of the radiation emitted, particularly the high-energy electrons and x-rays for biological imaging and medical therapies.

Prof. G. Ravindra Kumar of TIFR says  “Following the successful operation of the 150 TW laser installed at  the UPHILL facility of the TIFR Mumbai campus in 2010, , we are reaffirming our confidence in Amplitude for the reliability and capabilities of their lasers, as well as  the quality of their after-sales service”.

His colleague Prof. M. Krishnamurthy of TIFR, currently the Director of the TIFR-Hyderabad campus says “ With the new petawatt laser, we have great plans to pursue not only the fundamental science that we have always done but also strike out in several innovative technologies in imaging and other applications.”

Both Pr. Kumar and Pr. Krishnamurthy and their team look forward to working with other institutions in India and abroad and hope to make the Hyderabad laboratory a global center in the years to come.

VP Advanced Laser System Business Unit at Amplitude, Pierre-Mary Paul explains “We are delighted to be working with TIFR again. Our Pulsar PW is the ultimate light source dedicated to high intensity science, offering the best-in-class performance and bringing industrial-grade reliability to Science. “