The UK's scientific community has been given a major boost as the £17m HiLUX laser system at Harwell Campus completes its first experiment. This cutting-edge technology is set to revolutionise ultrafast laser spectroscopy, offering researchers unprecedented capabilities.
The HiLUX project involves a complete transformation of the Central Laser Facility's (CLF) existing ultrafast laser infrastructure, replacing older systems with a new generation of ytterbium-based lasers. This upgrade brings substantial improvements, including a near tenfold enhancement in signal-to-noise ratio, increased repetition rates, and greater operational reliability. The new systems are also designed to be more energy-efficient, significantly reducing the facility's electrical power and cooling demands.
For its inaugural experiment, researchers from Queen Mary University of London and the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research in Dresden collaborated with CLF scientist Dr Ryan Phelps. They utilised the HiLUX system to investigate chiral two-dimensional perovskites – materials composed of thin crystal sheets sandwiched between layers of organic molecules that exist in distinct left and right-handed forms.
Dr Nathaniel Gallop, who recently transitioned from the Leibniz Institute to Queen Mary University, expressed his enthusiasm for the new system's performance. He noted that experiments that previously required entire days to complete were finished in just a few hours with HiLUX, making the challenging study of these materials significantly more efficient.
The benefits extend beyond the visiting researchers to the CLF staff. Dr Phelps highlighted that the upgrade has freed staff from daily laser realignments and troubleshooting, allowing them to dedicate more time to discussing data with users and providing deeper input on experimental design and interpretation.
The upgraded infrastructure significantly boosts laser power by a factor of 10 to 100, and provides access to a broad spectrum of secondary light sources, ranging from infrared to extreme ultraviolet. This expanded capability allows scientists to study a wider array of physical and chemical processes with enhanced precision.