The LaserFusion Consortium successfully concluded its fifth specialized training event, a 10-day intensive programme on “Inertial Confinement Fusion Related Laser and Plasma Sources and Technology,” hosted by the ELI Beamlines Facility in the Czech Republic. The programme took place from July 13 to 23, 2026, bringing together 19 postgraduate students from across the consortium’s partner institutions.

Following the consortium’s previous schools in Bordeaux (foundational physics), Pisa (diagnostics), Jena (laser technology), and Paris (direct-drive fusion), the ELI Beamlines programme provided a comprehensive exploration of high-power laser drivers and plasma sources for Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE).

The 10-day programme offered an intensive curriculum covering the physics and technology of high-power laser systems, their beam properties, and the challenges of transporting and delivering laser energy to fusion targets. The programme included lectures, seminars, hands-on activities, facility tours, and interactive sessions.

Lectures

Participants engaged with a distinguished faculty of experts on topics including:

• Laser and radiation safety (Vaclav Sobr, Veronika Olsovcova)

• High energy laser systems and principles of inertial confinement fusion (Bedrich Rus, Ondrej Klimo)

• Petawatt class laser systems and their scaling towards higher repetition rates (Stepan Vyhlidka)

• Optics damage and coatings (Daniel Kramer)

• Laser beam smoothing techniques (David Blackman)

• Temporal and spatial properties of laser beams (Davorin Peceli, Jakub Novak)

• Laser beam handling and delivery to experimental stations (Petr Zimmermann)

• Chirped pulse amplification (CPA / OPCPA) (Tyler Green)

• Laser-generated EMP (Michael Ehret)

• Vacuum technologies for high-power laser systems (Lukas Brabec)

• Cryogenic and liquid targets and two-photon polymerization printing (Timofej Chagovets, Tibor Teplicky)

• Probing of ICF plasmas with electron and photon beams (Uddhab Chaulagain)

Seminars

Specialised seminars provided additional insights into cutting-edge research:

• Join the Future of Laser Science at ELI (Andrea Furst)

• Fundamentals of Laser Oscillators and Resonators (Ioannis Fitilis, HMU)

• Charged particle beams and plasmas generated by ultra-short ultra-intense laser pulses at high repetition rate (Luca Volpe, UPM)

• Introduction to laser-based electron acceleration and extreme applications (Chris Murphy, University of York)

• Novel approaches to radiotherapy using laser-driven electron accelerators (Luca Labate, CNR)

• Plasma diagnostics for inertial fusion energy (Sebastien Le Pape, IPP)

• Laser Plasma Interactions at ELI Beamlines (Singh Raj Laxmi)

• HED magnetized plasmas and laser-driven magnetized ICF (Mathieu Bailly-Grandvaux, Université de Bordeaux)

Hands-on Activities

Practical sessions formed a core component of the programme, allowing participants to develop essential laboratory skills:

• A1: Fourier optics and its application in high power lasers – Exploring Fourier optics as a tool in laser design for preserving beam quality and enabling precise control over spatial profiles, including construction of a beam shaper setup.

• A2: ELI Beamlines – Intro and overview

• A3: User Application Writing

• A4: Laser Beam Handling and Optical Alignment – Building and aligning a 4f telescope, spatial filtering, and assembling a simple interferometer.

• A5: 3D printing and target analysis – Fabricating target holders using MSLA/resin technology and using X-ray transmission spectroscopy to determine thin foil thickness or foam density.

• A6: Hands-on Optical Spectroscopy – Working with a spectrograph station, calculating its properties and light diffraction output, and discussing grating and prism spectrograph differences.

Additional Activities

Participants also took part in:

• Facility tour of ELI Beamlines

• Student presentations on their own research and activities

• Poster sessions and a laser game

• Prague city tour on the free day

• Welcome party and farewell dinner

Participant Assessment

As with previous LaserFusion schools, participants completed a knowledge evaluation test at the beginning of the programme and a final evaluation test on the last day, allowing them to assess their progress and consolidate their learning.

About LaserFusion: This Erasmus+ project (KA220-HED-13A477C3) aims to build a strong, interconnected European research community in Laser Inertial Fusion Energy through innovative education and training, uniting expertise from eight leading institutions.

The LaserFusion Consortium Partners:

• ELI ERIC, Czech Republic (Host of the ELI Programme)

• Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), Greece (Coordinator)

• Université de Bordeaux (UBx), France

• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Spain

• University of York (UoY), United Kingdom

• Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (FSU), Germany

• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy

• Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IPP), France