INFN-LNF Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati
The EuPRAXIA consortium has selected the ELI Beamlines facility in Dolní Břežany, Czech Republic, as the site for implementing the laser-driven acceleration pillar of the project.
This second site will complement the beam-driven facility currently being constructed at the Frascati National Laboratory, INFN. Together, they will form a a pan-European distributed research infrastructure dedicated to transformative research and innovation in accelerator science.
This decision concludes a delicate evaluation process conducted by the EuPRAXIA consortium, which examined proposals from various laboratories, considering the project’s medium to long-term strategic objectives.
EuPRAXIA, included in the 2021 Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), is a pioneering initiative for developing compact, high-performance electron accelerators based on advanced acceleration technologies utilizing laser-driven plasma wakefield and/or particle beams (beam-driven).
“This decision adopted by the EuPRAXIA Consortium is a great achievement,” says Dr. Pierluigi Campana, EuPRAXIA’s Coordinator. “The choice of the second site is one of the most relevant milestones of the EuPRAXIA Preparatory Phase and a crucial step toward the implementation of the distributed infrastructure.”
ELI Beamlines was selected for its infrastructure readiness, state-of-the-art laser systems, and comprehensive technical expertise. The high-power, high-repetition-rate laser systems, such as the new L2 DUHA laser, enable various experimental configurations, allowing ELI to implement and manage laser-driven acceleration and to realize a free electron laser (FEL) anticipated for EuPRAXIA.
Leveraging an existing infrastructure reduces the need for further investments, ensuring a strategic integration of ELI into European research plans.
“We are proud and honoured by EuPRAXIA’s decision to place its second site at ELI after such a thorough and transparent evaluation process. Being selected by EuPRAXIA is not just recognition—it’s a responsibility we embrace enthusiastically,” says Allen Weeks, ELI ERIC Director General. “We look forward to collaborating closely with the entire EuPRAXIA consortium and our partners to advance accelerator science and generate substantial benefits for science, industry, and society.”
“Now that the site for the laser-driven activities of EuPRAXIA has been defined, we can move on to a more active phase of the project,” comments Paola Gianotti, Director of the National Laboratories of Frascati at INFN. “The relationships between ELI Beamlines and INFN had already begun; now I expect them to become a continuous exchange of expertise and technologies.”
Hosting the EuPRAXIA site at ELI unlocks substantial scientific, technological, and economic benefits, strengthening Europe’s competitiveness in laser-plasma research. The initiative is expected to boost collaborations between academia and industry, attract additional investments, and enhance ELI’s scientific and technological capacity, while fostering innovation and growth in the broader Central European region.
EuPRAXIA also recognises the important roles of other laboratories that were candidates to host the second site: EPAC in the UK and CNR-INO in Pisa. Both reaffirm their support for the project’s realization. EPAC will contribute to EuPRAXIA as a center for R&D, focusing on studies to achieve high-quality, high-energy electron beams for FEL applications, while CNR-INO will serve as a national node, leading research on lasers, also collaborating with industry, and acting as a link between the two established sites in Italy and the Czech Republic.
Commenting on the news, Massimo Ferrario, head of the site at the National Laboratories of Frascati at INFN, stated: “The technical and scientific synergies that will be realized between our site at the National Laboratories of Frascati and that of ELI Beamlines will act as a driving force for innovation in future plasma-based accelerator technologies. The collaboration between these two facilities, combining advanced expertise in laser technologies and plasma acceleration, will collectively advance the EuPRAXIA project.”
The selection of ELI Beamlines as the second site for the EuPRAXIA project represents a significant step forward for this initiative, reinforcing Europe’s leadership in advanced technologies for accelerators and demonstrating the immense potential of collaborative and innovative science.