Advanced Laser Diagnostics & Optical Manipulation

Metrology has always been both a founding pillar and a driving force of scientific discovery and understanding. The ability to accurately measure quantities of interest remains one of the ultimate tests for verifying or subverting scientific hypotheses. It also plays a critical role in validating and optimizing simulation models, thereby enabling the extended study of the systems of interest and, ultimately, advancing scientific understanding for societal benefit. While the specific metrology tools employed can vary significantly across disciplines, they are all expected to conform to a set of “ideal” characteristics: they should be non-intrusive, non-perturbative and non-destructive to the system under investigation; offer fast acquisition times with respect to the timescales involved; be applicable across a wide range of species and experimental conditions; be repeatable; and provide precision and accuracy that exceed those of the current state-of-the-art (SOA) techniques. Crucially, they should also support in situ measurements.

Objectives

As such, the Advanced Laser Diagnostics & Optical Manipulation group has come to play an important role in advancing scientific understanding and discovery, by developing novel experimental verification tools to respond to open scientific and engineering questions across a wide range of fields These include both fundamental topics – such as laminar to turbulence transition in fluid flows and the definition of novel temperature formulation – and applied research areas like nanoparticle production, fusion energy, plasma energy deposition and the plasma-based treatment of biological tissues.

Scope of expertise

The group focuses on developing novel optical diagnostics and particle manipulation techniques based on light-matter interaction for all states of matter – including neutral gases, plasmas, liquids and nanoparticles. This also encompasses the design and development of the enabling instrumentation.

The group’s R&D portfolio covers all maturity levels of the developed technologies and methods, ranging from fundamental physical concepts and experimental laboratory demonstrations to real-world and commercial applications. Targeted application areas include:

• Aeronautical and aerospace applications (e.g. single-shot, non-intrusive, non-resonant, multipoint boundary layer characterization)
• Plasma processing (e.g. thermodynamic characterization of all constituents [neutrals, ions, electrons] of plasma sources)
• Nanoparticle characterization (e.g. in-situ characterization of nanoparticle production)
• Maritime applications (e.g. non-intrusive liquid flow characterization around vessels)
• Ion-thruster characterization (e.g. Hall thruster velocimetry)
• Materials science (e.g. enhancement of SIMS sensitivity via frequency tailored optical fields)

The group maintains a robust and sustainable research portfolio, funded through both competitive and non-competitive grants and benefitting from an extensive international network of collaborators. Its work is widely recognized, as evidenced by frequent invitations for members to deliver keynote, invited and plenary talks at major international conferences.

Beyond research, the group is actively engaged in scientific communication, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and the promotion of Luxembourg’s research ecosystem. These efforts include organizing the sMaR&T seminar series at LIST, supporting STEM outreach activities such as the Young Women’s Conference Luxembourg, and contributing to national events, such as Researchers’ Days, coordinated by the FNR.