HISTORY | 60 Years of Laser: What Does the Future Hold? (Part 2)

The Race to Harness Quantum Technology

The hottest topic in the field of applied laser research right now is quantum technology. In February 2020, the federal German government announced funding of 600 million euros for this field, followed by a further 2 billion as part of the COVID-19 budget. This is probably more than the combined total of all past funding for laser technology.

Tünnermann, from Fraunhofer IOF, recalls that “Germany has already been promoting quantum technology for a number of decades now.“

In response to the claim that China and the USA are already well ahead, he replies:

“My feeling here is that the most successful economies will be those that have structures in place to actively promote the transfer of this technology. That’s why photonics is an excellent example – and it is a good blueprint for lasting success with quantum technology.”

Currently, a national agenda process is progressing where experts from industry, research and user communities network to ensure that funding for quantum technology is used most effectively.

Can Lasers Solve the Energy Problem?

In the 1960s, the laser was seen as “the next big thing” after atomic energy. Unlike nuclear power, laser technology has indeed become a part of everyday life. It already plays a key role in the fields of telecommunications and production engineering – and its importance will continue to grow.

A German startup has even more ambitious plans: Marvel Fusion GmbH is to investigate laser-based nuclear fusion. The technology for this is based on systems of the kind under development within a European research network known as the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI).

Backed by funding that has now grown to one billion euros, ELI comprises three institutes in eastern Europe. These are working to realize the grand vision of Gérard Mourou, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. In his Nobel Lecture, Mourou went from Maiman’s initial discovery to a point far in the future, when lasers may become particle accelerators, or create conditions comparable to those inside stars. They will ignite nuclear fusion. And they will be so intense that they draw particles out of the vacuum. Marvel Fusion is working along this path towards feasible solutions.

So the laser has solved many problems that were unknown when Maiman spoke of a solution seeking a problem. However, as visionary Gérard Mourou promised, “the best is yet to come!”

TRUMPF supplies ASML, the Netherlands provider of photolithography systems, with the world’s most powerful mass-produced laser.