5-day course on “Physics and Technology of Inertial Fusion Energy”, in Paris, France, May 11 to 15, 2026

The LaserFusion consortium announces its fourth specialized training event: a 5-day research school on “Physics and Technology of Inertial Fusion Energy with focus on Laser Technology & Sources.” Hosted by Institut Polytechnique de Paris, from 11 to 15 of  May 2026. This course follows the consortium’s foundational schools in Bordeaux and Pisa, and is complementary to the latest school in Jena.

The event will consist of a training course for postgraduate students, focusing on laser technology and sources for Inertial Fusion Energy, with particular emphasis on the direct-drive scheme. It will include lectures and seminars on the theoretical principles and engineering of high-energy pulsed laser systems, targetry, and experimental conditions for inertial confinement fusion, as well as hands-on practice sessions.

The school is designed for postgraduate students (MSc and PhD candidates) from the LaserFusion partner institutions. It is suited for researchers in physics and engineering who require specialized knowledge of the laser sources central to fusion energy research.

The preliminary flyer of the school can been found here

A limited number of participants from the eight partner Universities/Institutions of the consortium will be selected to attend the school.  Please contact the key person of the respective partner.

OVERVIEW

RESEARCH SCHOOL
Physics of Inertial Fusion Energy with a focus on
laser technologie and direct drive inertial fusion

Paris, May 11-15, 2026

In the framework of the Erasmus+ KA2-HED project “LaserFusion: Innovative Education & Training in Laser Inertial Fusion Energy”, this 5-day research school will provide a training course for MSc and PhD students on laser and laser–plasma source technologies related to Inertial Fusion Energy. The programme will focus in particular on the laser technologies required for laser-driven fusion and direct-drive inertial fusion. It will include lectures and seminars covering both theoretical learning and practical aspects, as well as hands-on training sessions.

The school is organized by the Institute Polytechnique de Paris and will take place at École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, 20 km southwest of Paris center.Contact Person:
Prof. Sébastien Le Pape (le-pape.s@bureau.luli.polytechnique.fr)

PROGRAMME

Preliminary Timetable v2

Monday, May 11th

  • Morning – Arrival of participants
  • 15:00 – Welcome
  • 15:30 – 16:30 – Evaluation test
  • 17:30 – End of day

Tuesday, May 12th

  • 09:00 – 09:45 – Lecture: High-Intensity Lasers on the Path to Fusion: A Virtual Tour of the LULI2000 Facility (Loic Meignein)
  • 09:45 – 10:15 – Lecture: First Results on Broadband Incoherent Beams at LULI2000 (Titouan Degrancourt)
  • 10:15 – Break
  • 10:45 – 11:30 – Lecture: From Coherent Beam Combining to Digital Laser (Jean-Christophe Chanteloup)
  • 11:30 – 12:00 – Lecture: Innovative Laser Architecture for Increasing the Energy and Repetition Rate of Fusion Lasers (Pierre Lebegue)
  • 12:00 – 12:30 – Lecture: Development and Modeling of a 100 J Nanosecond Laser Platform for High-Energy Applications (Marie Froideveaux)
  • 12:30 – Break
  • 13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch
  • 14:00 – 15:00 – Lecture: Fusion reactor design (Duncan Barlow)
  • 15:00 – Break
  • 15:30 – 16:30 – Seminar: Fast ignition as an alternative scheme to get high gain (J. Honrubia)
  • 16:30 – 17:30 – Lecture: Laser optical smoothing (Pascal Loiseau)
  • 17:30 – End of day

Wednesday, May 13th (split group)

  • 09:00 – 12:30 – Practical session: Pulse compression (J. De Sousa) or Broadband LPI using PIC code (M. Grech)
  • 12:30 – Break
  • 13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch
  • 14:00 – 16:00 – Practical session: Pulse compression (J. De Sousa) or Broadband LPI using PIC code (M. Grech)
  • 16:00 – Break
  • 16:30 – 17:30 – Practical session: Pulse compression (J. De Sousa) or Broadband LPI using PIC code (M. Grech)
  • 17:30 – End of day
  • 19:30 – Gala dinner

Thursday, May 14th

  • 09:00 – 10:00 – Seminar: Target fabrication and injection technology (John Pasley)
  • 10:00 – 11:00 – Seminar: Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration in Optically Tailored Gaseous Targets Optimized for Magnetic Vortex Acceleration (Ioannis Tazes)
  • 11:00 – Break
  • 11:30 – 12:30 – Seminar: Modelling Thermal Load Impact on Gratings at High Repetition Rate for Laser Fusion Systems (M. Ezzat)
  • 12:30 – Break
  • 13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch
  • 14:00 – 16:00 – Visit of LULI2000
  • 16:00 – Break
  • 16:30 – 17:30 – Seminar: Two-photon polymerization (2PP) printing of targets / foams (T. Teplicky)
  • 17:30 – End of day

Friday, May 15th

  • 09:00 – 10:30 – Practical Session: Radiation Hydrodynamics using Flash (Kassie Moczulski / G. Rigon)
  • 10:30 – Break
  • 11:00 – 11:45 – Lecture: Plasma diagnostics (B. Albertazzi)
  • 11:45 – 12:30 – Seminar: Laser physics (TBA)
  • 12:30 – Break
  • 13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch
  • 14:00 – 15:00 – Exams
  • 15:30 – End of School
TRAVEL INFO

École Polytechnique is located in Palaiseau, on the Paris-Saclay campus, approximately 20 km south of central Paris. The area is a major hub for science, research, and higher education.

✈️ From Paris Orly Airport (ORY)

🚆 Public Transport: ~45–60 minutes
  1. Take the Orlyval shuttle from the airport to Antony
  2. At Antony, transfer to RER B toward Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse
  3. Get off at Lozère station
  4. Walk ~15–20 minutes (uphill) or take a local bus/taxi to campus
🚖 Taxi / Ride-sharing: ~25–30 minutes

 

✈️ From Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)

🚆 Public Transport : ~1h15–1h30
  1. Take RER B directly from CDG Airport
  2. Travel toward Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse
  3. Get off at Lozère station
  4. Walk ~15–20 minutes uphill or take a taxi/bus

🚖 Taxi / Ride-sharing : ~50–70 minutes

🚶 Final Access from Lozère Station

  • Walking time: ~15–20 minutes
  • Note: the route is steep uphill

  • Local bus (depending on schedule

  • Short taxi ride (~5 minutes)

 

💡 Tips

  • For public transport, buy tickets via Île-de-France Mobilités (Navigo or single tickets)
  • Always check live routes via apps like Citymapper or Google Maps
ACCESS MAP

All participants are expected at LULI on Monday between 2 and 3 pm. To access LULI you can take rer B to Lozere then walk up the stairs to the ecole or stop at massy palaiseau and take the bus 4606 and stop at lozere bus station (maybe the bus is easier because of the luggage issue). LULI is in batiment 84, you cannot get into the building because of the badge required to get in but you can ring and someone will let you in. Hotel is on the school campus close by.

More detais about the venue you can find here

https://luli.ip-paris.fr/en/access-map

 

Google maps

ACCOMODATION
🏨 Accommodation & Meals

Students can be accommodated in the campus apartments of École Polytechnique at a special rate of €55 per day. Rooms are available for arrrival Monday 11/5 and departure Friday 15/5.

🛏️ To reserve a room, the nominated students must send an email with a picture of their ID card and a phone number to lathome-x@polytechnique.fr and cc to le-pape.s@bureau.luli.polytechnique.fr. Book your room before 27 April 2026.

🍽️ Lunch will be available at the institute’s restaurant at a special price of €8.50.