Bucharest, December 17, 2024 – RBJ – Today, in the presence of Mr. Marcel Boloș, Acting Minister of Development, and H.E. Mr. Katae Takashi, Ambassador of Japan to Bucharest, the financing contract for the construction and equipment of the High Power Optics Center in Măgurele (Ilfov County), whose beneficiary is the National Research and Development Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering “Horia Hulubei”, was signed.
“We mark a significant step for the development of cutting-edge research and technology in Romania, the signing of this contract representing not only an investment in infrastructure, but also a firm commitment to the future of scientific research and innovation in our country. The new center, equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, will allow the manufacture of large-sized optical components, essential for the use of high-power lasers and will strengthen Romania’s role on the world research map. Thus, we will support the efficient operation of the ELI-NP Research Center’s infrastructure and create new opportunities on the international market”, the interim minister of development said.
To carry out these activities, collaboration is desired with university centers and companies that have the necessary knowledge to develop the most suitable solutions for the demand in the field of high-power lasers and for their implementation in practice. From the academic sphere, the University of Osaka – Japan, which has developed a prestigious center for the development of high-power lasers, including high-power optics (Institute of Laser Engineering), with which ELI-NP has developed a collaboration.
The project represents an extension within the Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) Research Infrastructure in Măgurele, which is a strategic project of the European Commission, coordinated by Romania, included in the Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) and in the national one for research priorities.
The investment includes both the construction of the building and its equipping with the technological systems necessary for the manufacturing and finishing process of large-scale optics. Thus, the center will be equipped with the technology and equipment specifically required to carry out the manufacturing and/or repair activities of high-power optical components that are used at the ELI-NP Research Infrastructure or at other high-power laser centers in Romania and the world. These will be hosted by a new dedicated building, customized in accordance with the production, technological flow and research activities.
Within the High Power Optics Center, micromechanical and nanometric finishing operations will be carried out for medium and large optical components, and the technological processes include fine grinding stages using a combined water-sand emulsion (in a closed circuit), inspection using interferometry and the final stage of depositing the finishing layer. After completing these stages, the optical element will be assembled and inspected in dedicated spaces.
The investment is financed by the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, through the National Investment Company, the total value of the contract being 193,192,411 lei, and the project implementation duration is 24 months, of which 5 months are dedicated to the design activity.