More than 450 employees of 70 scientific and industrial organizations from nine countries will present the results of their research and development at the IX International Conference "Laser, Plasma Research and Technologies - LaPlas 2023", which opened on March 28 at the Nuclear University. The organizer of the conference is the Institute for Laser and Plasma Technologies (LaPlas) of the MEPhI.

Andrey Kuznetsov, director of the LaPlas Institute of the MEPhI

Opening the plenary session, Rector of the University Vladimir Shevchenko noted the merits of the research activities of the LaPlas Institute in successfully solving the problems of the Priority 2030 academic leadership program. He noted that with the help of lasers, scientists hope to find answers to questions about the fundamental structure of matter. “For example,” the rector reminded, “we still dream of seeing the Schwinger process of pair production in superstrong laser fields.” At the same time, lasers have penetrated widely into the everyday life of people and have become the basis of a huge number of various devices. Vladimir Shevchenko acknowledged that the development of laser technologies is important for MEPhI as for a university that “remembers on whose shoulders it stands” and at the same time thinks about the future.

Andrey Kuznetsov, director of the LaPlas Institute, outlined the achievements and outlined the nearest plans.

He gave detailed statistics on the results of the institute's scientific activities for the year, on its participation in projects funded under the Priority 2030 program, and on cooperation with Rosatom State Corporation. He also spoke about the developments of LaPlas, among which he named the largest infrastructure project of the institute - the creation of a multifunctional laser complex "Elf" - in 2023 it enters the construction phase.

Also this year, the first stage of the picosecond laser, which is being created jointly with the Roscosmos State Corporation, is to be launched. “This will be the second laser in Russia in terms of energy, which will allow experiments in the field of laboratory astrophysics and neutron-free nuclear physics,” said Andrey Kuznetsov. “I hope that by the end of the year we will already receive the first impulses.”

He also mentioned "the most mature project" of the institute - plasma engines. Last year, the director of LaPlas said, two satellites with such engines flew, this year the institute's own satellite will be launched, capable of monitoring the situation with fires.

Finally, the director of the LaPlas Institute said that this year, "in partnership with a number of the best schools in Moscow," a master's program will be launched, which aims to train physics teachers for secondary schools. “There is a great demand for MEPhI undergraduate graduates in engineering and physics who go to teach at school, and we want them to leave us not only with a high level of physical and mathematical training, but also with knowledge of pedagogy and adolescent psychology. I think that this story is extremely important not only for MEPhI, but also for school education: physics is a science that prohibits miracles, and this is the most important thing that we must educate in people”, said the director of the LaPlas Institute.

The conference will continue its work until March 31.