IMPULSE · Integrated Management and reliable oPerations for User-based Laser Scientific Excellence

The Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) is the world’s most advanced laser user facility. It is among Europe’s important new international research infrastructures, an ESFRI Landmark. More than €850M was invested at three facilities in Central Europe, using European Regional Development Funds. The ELI facilities will merge to efficiently integrate and secure the sustainability of that investment. They will transition to operations as a single European Research Infrastructure Consortium. This IMPULSE, funded by a significant EU contribution, will bring resources and the experience of leading European laser facilities to bear to accelerate the transition to the operational phase and enhance sustainability. They will identify opportunities for technical synergies across Europe’s leading high-power, short-pulse laser centres. Developing best practices together to support the user experience, the project consortium will mitigate the risk of operating state-of-the-art, high-power, high repetition laser systems. They will develop the technologies contributing the most to that risk, and position ELI as a global platform for high-power laser development, driving innovation in the field. Together the partners will implement standards and practices supporting excellence and consistent quality for the users. The IMPULSE will scientifically demonstrate the performance and potential of each of the ELI facilities early in the operational program. An extensive analysis of the scientific community that can exploit ELI and other laser facilities will be carried out together with Laserlab Europe. That will be supported with extensive outreach activities to anchor the success of ELI’s scientific program with a broad community.