NRNU MEPhI, VNIIEF and the Institute of General Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences: ELF (Experimental Laser-Physical Installation)

Main article: Laser equipment (lasers) (Russian market)

2025: Installation of the spatial vacuum filter of the power amplifier begins

The installation of the largest optical element, the spatial vacuum filter of the power amplifier of the ELF laser complex, began in the Scientific and Laboratory Building of MEPhI University. The university announced this on March 13, 2025.

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Фото: MEPhI

The need for such a device is due to the fact that powerful lasers, in their design, consist of a sequence of amplifying stages. The primary laser (the master generator) has an energy of only ten billion joules and a beam size of 10 microns, and at the output we must receive energy of about ten kilojoules with a size of 20 × 20 cm. That is, it is necessary to increase laser radiation 10 13 times. Focusing this radiation on the target into a spot less than 100 microns in size and allows you to create pressures and temperatures in the substance similar to the centers of stars. However, during the amplification process, the laser beam propagates through disk active elements (slabs), lenses, optical windows are greatly distorted, which ultimately does not allow it to be focused in a spot of the desired size. The vacuum spatial filter, the installation of which we have begun, is just needed in order to maximize the laser beam from those distortions that arise during the amplification process, "said Andrei Kuznetsov, director of the Institute of Laser and Plasma Technologies at NRNU MEPhI.

The ELF vacuum spatial filter has a length of 15 meters, the internal diameter of the light guide pipes is 900 mm, the total weight is about four tons. The principle of operation of optical spatial filters is based on fourier optics: vignetting the spatial frequencies of high orders of magnitude with a diaphragm located in the focal plane of a transport lens. It is essentially a large telescope with a remotely controlled diaphragm assembly. What is a vacuum for? To prevent plasma from igniting in the constriction of this radiation. "Cleaning" the laser beam from distortion is the sequential rearrangement of radiation from one lens to another through diaphragms of different diameters.

By the forces of our employees, graduate students and students, light pipe is assembled into a single vacuum volume. The calculation, design and development of working design documentation was done on their own, but the production site, on which it would be possible to produce a vacuum volume of such sizes, had to be searched for for a long time. As a result, vacuum pipes were manufactured in Nizhny Novgorod (Technopark LLC), and the central vacuum compartment in Tambov (ERSTVAK LLC). If we try to assess the degree of readiness for the launch of the laser complex, then by now the manufacture of a vacuum target chamber has been completed, the master generator and the pre-amplification system have been put into operation, a common slipway has been mounted, the housings of the power amplifier modules have been assembled and installed. There is still a lot of work, but I believe that by autumn we will complete the installation of the main installation units. And then - installation of an electric energy storage and switching system for pumping pulse lamps, development of remote control of the laser complex, alignment of the optical laser system. The deadlines are compressed, because in 2026 it is planned to physically launch the experimental laser-physical complex ELF, "concluded Andrei Kuznetsov.

2022: Work to create a multifunctional laser installation

At NRNU MEPhI, work is underway to create a multifunctional laser installation of kilojoule energy level "ELF" (ELF - Experimental Laser-Physical Installation; англ.: ELF - Experimental Laser Facility). This laser is also needed by world science, but the university also needs it, since large, such installations for December 2022 are a necessary property of the university. The project is supported by the Priority 2030 program. This was announced on December 21, 2022 by representatives of the NRNU MEPhI.

Vacuum target chamber of the ELF laser complex

As reported, scientific infrastructure of this scale performs three functions: firstly, it allows you to obtain world-class scientific results that would be embodied in highly cited publications; secondly, provides the opportunity to train students to work on powerful, expensive installations similar to those on which they will work in scientific teams after graduation; and thirdly, such an establishment should contribute to the inclusion of the university in the world scientific agenda.

The idea was to create not just a powerful laser, but a laser with a "user interface," which in its characteristics provides a wide range of research opportunities for scientists from different laboratories and institutes. That is, the installation should become a supplier of a "universal scientific service." The fact is that as of December 2022, powerful lasers can be used in experiments in various scientific fields - such as fusion, plasma physics, extreme states of matter and even laboratory astrophysics. The latest field, which gained popularity in 2022, is perhaps especially interesting - it involves modeling processes using lasers in laboratory conditions, similar to those that occur in the bowels of stars and in supernova explosions, and thus conclude about the physics of the universe. According to Andrei Kuznetsov, director of the Institute of Laser and Plasma Technologies at NRNU MEPhI, ELF should operate in the "photon factory" mode, generating laser pulses on the "orders" of scientists working on it, who can request laser radiation with certain parameters - the required energy, spectrum, duration and time form of the pulse, as well as with a set of accompanying diagnostics.

In the world, kilojoule laser installations are usually created countries that have the technology to create even more powerful megajoule energy installations. There are now five such countries in the world as of December 2022 USA France:,,,,. Russia China At the Japan same time, as the experience of foreign colleagues shows, "in tandem" with national installations, mega-level installations work. This applies to the LULI2000 laser, which works France in École polytechnique, and the Omega laser in. The fact is University of Rochester USA that an experiment on the installation of megajoule power can be hundreds of thousands, but dollars it can be significantly reduced in price if some of the "components" of the experiment - for example, the alleged modes - work out "on a small scale" on university lasers. Meanwhile Sarov , specialists are already VNIIEF creating a laser mega-installation of a megajoule energy level, "additional" in relation to which there will be an "ELF." By the way, the close interaction of laser mega-installations with nuclear power is also a global tradition.

The basis for the ELF was the element base of the Luch kilojoule laser installation already existing in Sarov. However, we are not talking about creating a copy of "Ray." Over the past two years, a working group consisting of employees of VNIIEF and NII MEPhI has proposed an original scheme for amplifying laser radiation. If in the standard "Ray" scheme with the same number of amplifying elements it was possible to generate a laser pulse with an energy of the order of one kilojoule, then in "ELF," as calculations show, at the same input energy costs, it is possible to increase the pulse energy to 6 kilojoules.

It is planned that ELF will have two channels: one will generate a pulse with a duration of 5-20 nanoseconds - with a picosecond pulse duration. As of December 2022, there is generally a shortage of kilojoule power lasers in the world, and there are no installations in which it would be possible to simultaneously use two beams of nano- and picosecudal duration in the world. The unique properties of the ELF will allow it to "work" in the framework of research inaccessible to other existing laser installations, study the properties of materials during high-speed deformation, propagation in the substance of shock waves, study many properties of hot plasma, which can be useful to astrophysicists and in the design of thermonuclear reactors.

As of December 2022, infrastructure is being created for the placement of the laser. The installation will be located on the ground floor of the scientific and laboratory building of the NRNU MEPhI in rooms with a total area of ​ ​ 600 square meters, and its heart will be the "Laser Hall" with an area of ​ ​ 300 square meters where large laser-optical equipment will be located in a "clean zone."

2021: Support for Priority 2030

In 2021, the project received support from the Priority 2030 program.

2020: Agreement on the creation of a laser installation

in 2020, an agreement was concluded on the creation of a laser installation between NRNU MEPhI, VNIIEF and the Institute of General Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (later FIAN joined the same agreement).

2018: Support of the Academy of Sciences

In 2018, the idea of ​ ​ creating an "ELF" received support from the Academy of Sciences.

2015: The idea of ​ ​ creating

The idea of ​ ​ creating "ELF" appeared around 2015.