Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research in Dresden have completed the first experiment using one of the new HiLUX laser systems.
These are based at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Central Laser Facility (CLF) on the Harwell Campus.
About HiLUX
HiLUX is a £17 million transformation of the CLF’s ultrafast laser spectroscopy infrastructure, replacing the facility’s decade-old titanium sapphire ULTRA and Artemis laser systems with a new generation of ytterbium-based lasers.
The upgrade delivers improvements in repetition rate, operational reliability, and data quality, including a near tenfold improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, while also reducing the facility’s electrical power and cooling demands.
HiLUX’s first light was achieved on the ULTRA infrared laser system, with the Artemis extreme-ultraviolet system expected to follow later this year.
This is the first of several new ultrafast laser systems being installed at CLF-ULTRA.
The first experiment
The visiting researchers, working with CLF scientist Dr Ryan Phelps, used HiLUX to study chiral two-dimensional perovskites.
Materials made of thin crystal sheets sandwiched between layers of organic molecules that exist in left and right-handed forms.
Fully understanding them requires observing molecular motions that occur on timescales of trillionths of a second.
These materials have potential applications in:
- secure communications
- medical imaging
- quantum technology
Impact for researchers
Dr Nathaniel Gallop, who recently moved from the Leibniz Institute to Queen Mary University, described the impact of the new system:
The experiments have gone fantastically! I’ve worked with these materials for a few years, and they are exceptionally challenging to study. I was initially worried that it would be a battle to measure the things we needed to measure.
However, the new HiLUX laser system has made this process a breeze: measurements that we had initially allocated entire days to take only needed a few hours in the end.
The staff, particularly Ryan and Greg, have been wonderfully supportive and have made the entire experience smoother than I’d have ever hoped!
Impact for CLF staff
For CLF staff, the upgrade has also changed how they are able to support visiting researchers. Dr Phelps said:
In recent years I have become accustomed to daily laser realignments and troubleshooting of system failures, taking me away from the actual cutting-edge science.
This recent upgrade has completely changed where my efforts are placed as a facility scientist; I now have more time to discuss data with users and provide deeper input on experimental design and interpretation.
This shift will allow me to contribute more directly to the scientific output of the facility, rather than focusing primarily on maintaining system operability.
New capabilities
The upgraded infrastructure boosts laser power by 10 to 100 times and opens access to a broad spectrum of secondary light sources, from infrared to extreme ultraviolet.
This enables researchers to study a wider range of physical and chemical processes with greater precision, including the ability to:
- observe both vibrational and electronic properties of molecules over cascades of timescales (femtoseconds to seconds) in a single experiment
- detect previously hidden signals with new levels of signal-to-noise
- support faster, more automated experimentation to enable scientists to try different ideas out on their precious samples, within a single visit
Funding and delivery
The new laser systems were manufactured by Light Conversion and delivered through Photonics Solutions to CLF’s specifications.
Mechanical design support throughout the project was provided by the Projects and Mechanical Engineering group at STFC’s Technology Department.
This investment is supported by UKRI, through the Infrastructure Fund.
