Laserlab-Portugal

Research areas

Operational since 1998, the Laboratory for Intense Lasers (L2I) is the largest laser laboratory in Portugal and the most important hub for ultrashort laser science, technology and applications. In recognition of its strategic role, the facility was selected to the Portuguese Roadmap of Research Infrastructures in 2014, and reaffirmed for the 2020 update.

L2I was also instrumental in ensuring the Portuguese participation and contribution to international consortia and networks such as LASERLAB-Europe, Euratom ICF Keep-in-Touch Activities, Extreme Light Infrastructure and HiPER. Currently research areas and applications:

Laser science and technology

Ultrafast pulse diagnostics

Nonlinear optical phenomena

Ultrafast laser ablation

Nonlinear material characterization

Two-photon excited fluorescence

Time-resolved infrared spectroscopy (TRIR)

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)

Laser systems and beamlines

	Amphos Driver	Amphos PulsePick	Amphos MPC	Fastlite OPCPA	Yb:YAG Multipass	YCOB OPA
Central wavelength	1030 nm			3100 nm	1030 nm	825 nm
Pulse duration	1 ps	1 ps	100 fs	40 fs	1 ps	15 fs
Energy per pulse	1 mJ	0.25 mJ	0.64 mJ	60 µJ	60 mJ	50 µJ
Repetition rate	1-40000 kHz	SS-1 kHz	1-40000 kHz	100 kHz	100 Hz	100 kHz
Average power	100 W	25 W	64 W	6 W	6 W	5 W
Applications	High-throughput pump–probe Frequency conversion OPA seeding/pumping THz generation Supercontinuum/PCF kHz femtosecond micromachining nonlinear optics at kHz			HHG in solids Strong-field physics Ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy THz generation Mid-IR sensing Chemistry and biophotonics	Pump–probe on solids Frequency conversion/pumping (515 nm) THz generation Laser-driven plasma Ablation physics Materials processing (ps regime)	Ultrafast time-resolved spectrometry Nonlinear optics
Main diagnostics	Energy meter, power meter (up to 100 W) Spectrometer: Ocean Optics HR2000+, Horiba HR3200, Fastite Mozza Pulse duration: APE autocorrelator, high-contrast autocorrelator, custom FROG Beam profile: Phasics SID4 wavefront sensor, VIS, NIR and MIR cameras
Target area	Multi-purpose 1.1 meter diameter target chamber with clean high-vacuum capability and vibration isolation Two optical tables for setup and temporary diagnostics. Beam profile: Phasics SID4 wavefront sensor, VIS, NIR and MIR cameras

Research areas

VOXEL is the only national facility in Portugal dedicated to high-intensity laser–plasma interaction, providing a unique platform for advanced studies in relativistic optics, particle acceleration, and secondary radiation generation. The facility also represents Portugal as a local PI node in the European Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) collaboration, linking national expertise to a broader European effort in fusion energy research.

The mission of VOXEL is to advance experimental research in laser–plasma interaction across fundamental and applied domains— from compact accelerators and secondary sources to extreme states of matter. To achieve this, the facility develops and exploits enabling technologies such as structured light at high power intensities coupled to machine learning, which allow unprecedented control over laser–plasma coupling.

VOXEL operates within a high-power laser laboratory equipped with a 35 fs, kHz Ti:Sapphire system and newly upgraded to host a 300 mJ, 10 Hz Amplitude ARCO X 300 laser, enabling experiments at the frontier of relativistic laser–plasma interaction. This expansion doubles the laboratory space and integrates new infrastructure compatible with high-energy laser–plasma applications, including particle acceleration and radiation beamlines.

Laser systems and beamlines

Ti:Sapphire kHz Astrella system

• Central wavelength: 800 nm
• Pulse duration: 35 fs
• Energy per pulse: up to 4 mJ (post-compressed)
• Repetition rate: 1 kHz up to single shot
• Applications: kHz laser–plasma acceleration, high-harmonic generation (HHG), ultrafast secondary sources, coherent imaging

Amplitude ARCO X 300 (new upgrade)

• Central wavelength: 800 nm
• Pulse duration: 40 fs
• Energy per pulse: up to 300 mJ
• Repetition rate: 10 Hz
• Beamline infrastructure: dedicated vacuum beamlines for plasma acceleration and secondary radiation generation
• Applications: relativistic laser–plasma interaction, particle acceleration to 100s of MeV, warm dense matter studies, pump–probe experiments

High-Harmonic Generation (HHG) Beamline

• Source: driven by Ti:Sapphire kHz system
• Spectral range: XUV (15–70 eV)
• Typical flux: >10⁸ photons/s
• Diagnostics: XUV spectrometer, flat-field imaging, EUV Greateyes CCD
• Applications: ultrafast XUV spectroscopy, coherent diffraction imaging, attosecond metrology

Interaction area with delay beamlines

• Vacuum interaction chamber for multi-purpose laser–plasma experiments
• Equipped with motorized target and alignment systems
• Multiple synchronized delay beamlines derived from the Ti:Sapphire system for pump–probe configurations
• Applications: time-resolved laser–plasma dynamics, warm dense matter studies, ultrafast pump–probe experiments, multi-beam interaction studies

Auxiliary laser systems

• Alignment lasers (diode, CW, HeNe) for diagnostics and beam transport
• Probe beams synchronized to main systems for interferometry, shadowgraphy, and plasma diagnostics

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Research areas: Transient absorption spectroscopy and photoacoustic calorimetry.

The laboratory has four main working stations and is linked to auxiliary preparative laboratories, cell culture laboratory and office space. Two of the main working stations are dedicated to Photoacoustics and the other two to Transient absorption. The Photoacoustic working stations comprises instrumentation for ms/ns/ps time resolved Photoacoustic Calorimetry and Photoacoustic Tomography. For Transient absorption the laboratory has ns laser flash photolysis and fs pump-probe spectroscopy set-ups. The laboratory is equipped with pipes for handling laboratory gases and accessories for working at distinct temperatures and deal with solid and liquid samples. Singlet oxygen detection is also possible in the Laboratory. A fifth working station, in a separated room, is dedicated to the preparation and characterization of solar cells. The laboratories are acclimatized and are located close to each other as well as to the work offices of the research team members. read more

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