4 Infrastructure and Applications

The experimental research program in topical areas 1-3 can only to a very limited extent be served by commercially available laser systems, and requires specialised laser expertise for the in-house development of light sources and novel experimental methods beyond the commercially available state-of-the-art, as well as its integration in unique experiments. The experiments increasingly pose requirements only achievable via OPCPA systems, and therefore their development has been a technological focus in recent years. With these systems now becoming operational beyond proof-of-concept, the emphasis shifts to their efficient application. This includes in particular questions of advanced diagnostics and control to improve stability as well as systems engineering to increase reliability. Similarly, the nanotechnology-based realization of tailored diffractive as well as near-field optics and sample systems allows to realize unique experiments in topical areas 1-3. Laser systems and secondary sources developed for cooperation partners or to be used primarily in application laboratories with outside users are also included here. Specifically, the latter are the BLiX application laboratory operated jointly with TU Berlin and an application laboratory currently under development with EFRE co-funding, with the goal to reliably provide short pulses in the water window and beyond for experiments.