Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS)

Université du Québec - Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Varennes, Québec
What the facility does

National and international users can access a variety of laser systems, ultrafast sources, and beamlines.

Areas of expertise

The Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS) facility is located at the Varennes campus of the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie, Matériaux, et Télécommunications, where national and international users can access a variety of laser systems, ultrafast sources, and beamlines. 

With the ALLS’s powerful lasers, the facility provides to users a large variety of light sources ranging from THz (300 micron wavelength) to hard X-rays (Angstrom – 0.1 nm wavelength), and electron beams, within ultrashort pulse durations. Since these light sources and beams are generated in an all-optical way, they are spatially and temporally synchronized. As a result, the facility opens the door to explore the potential of dynamic imaging of atomic, molecular and condensed matter systems and provides unique tools to explore the fundamental questions of physics and chemistry. This leads to important outcomes in fundamental science as well as in innovative technological applications and tools. Among these applications are high-spatial resolution material and medical imaging, micro-machining and materials processing, as well as applications for security and defence, telecommunications and information.

Finally, access to ALLS is based on scientific and innovative merit, through a well-defined process, which involves the evaluation of letters of intent (LOI) by an independent scientific/technology committee called the Beam Time Allocation Committee (BTAC). Twice a year, a call for beam time is announced defining an ALLS session and users send their LOIs to the ALLS scientific coordinator. Once the letters are received, the BTAC evaluates them. ALLS reserves a specific number of weeks per year (up to 25 percent) for projects with Canadian companies and government agencies.

Research services
  • Soft X-ray and hard X-ray spectroscopy, hard X-ray phase contrast imaging.
  • THz spectroscopy and imaging, time-resolved spectroscopic measurements, characterization of optical components across the electromagnetic spectrum (from THz to hard X-ray), laser micro-machining, laser material processing.
  • Laser integration for pulsed laser deposition (PLD) systems, laser-induced damage threshold measurement.
  • Laser systems design and prototyping, optical design (non-linear optics, ultrashort pulses, high power lasers).
  • Optical metrology (beam size up to 200mm), vacuum chamber design and fabrication, ultra-high vacuum cleaning and metrology, vacuum compatible welding, laser-matter interaction chamber design and fabrication, high energy electron spectrometer fabrication (up to 1 GeV), electro-magnetic testing chamber (Large Faraday Shield Room).
  • Laser maintenance and training of personnel, laser safety training, theoretical modelling of laser-matter interaction.
Sectors of application
  • Aerospace and satellites
  • Agriculture, animal science and food
  • Automotive
  • Chemical industries
  • Defence and security industries
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Environmental technologies and related services
  • Forestry and forest-based industries
  • Information and communication technologies and media
  • Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
  • Manufacturing and processing
  • Professional and technical services (including legal services, architecture, engineering)
Equipment Function
500 TW Titanium-Sapphire laser system

Specs: Highest peak power Titanium-Sapphire laser system in Canada. 10 joules per pulse, 17 femtoseconds (fs), 2.5 Hz.

Function: electron acceleration, ion acceleration, hard X-ray phase contrast imaging, time-resolved hard X-ray spectroscopy. Filamentation. High-field physics.

Multi-kHz Titanium-Sapphire laser system

Specs: 4.5 millijoules (mJ/pulse), 30 fs, up to 5 kHz

Function: THz spectroscopy and imaging, time-resolved spectroscopy, VUV to XUV sources at high repetition rate, materials characterization, micro-machining and materials processing, dynamic molecular imaging,

100 Hz Titanium-Sapphire laser system

Specs: 100 mJ/pulse, 40 fs, 100 Hz

Function: Plasma physics. Pumping high energy infrared laser system. Mid-infrared and THz photonics. VUV to soft X-ray sources for materials characterization. Generation of high-field THz pulses. Time-resolved measurements including THz pump – X-ray probe spectroscopy.

10 Hz high energy optical parametric amplifier

Specs: Highest peak power infrared laser system in Canada. 15 mJ/pulse, 15 fs, 10 Hz at 1.8 micron.

Function: Generation of ultrashort soft X-ray pulses for material characterization and time-resolved spectroscopy. Attosecond science. Longitudinal electron acceleration.  Filamentation at long wavelength.

End-stations (5)

Function: stations where experiments are performed. These stations are equipped with advanced metrologies and diagnostics.

(1) Ultrafast molecular imaging experiments,

(2) High harmonic generation end-stations (surface harmonics, gas harmonics, plasma harmonics) for VUV to soft X-ray spectroscopic measurements,

(3) THz generation end-stations,

(4) Electron acceleration end-stations,

(5) Betatron beamline for phase contrast imaging and hard X-ray spectroscopy.

Specialized equipment for advanced diagnostics

(1) X-ray CCD cameras (10eV-20 keV):

PI-SCX

PI-LCX-LN

PI-MTE

(2) Streak cameras with sub-ps time resolution (visible, UV and X detection ranges)

(3) Magnetic-field electron spectrometer (50 MeV-1 GeV)

(4) Time-of-flight ion detector (150 keV-20 MeV)

(5) Ultrashort pulse optical diagnostics:

Wavefront sensors

Pulse duration characterization (5fs-ps, 200nm-4000nm)

Optical spectrometers (200nm-20000nm)

Carrier-to-envelope phase measurement  (f-2f interferometer)

THz electro-optical sampling

  • Applied Nanotools Inc.
  • Axis Photonique Inc.
  • Defence Research and Development Canada RDC
  • few-cycle Inc.
  • Genia Photonics Inc.
  • Ki3-Photonics Technologies Inc.
  • MPB Communications Inc.
  • O/E Land Inc.
  • National Research Council Canada
  • Osela Inc.
  • Passat Ltd.
  • Photon etc
  • Plasmionique Inc.
  • Spectra-Physics Vienna - Femtolasers Produktions GmbH
Title URL
Improving cancer treatments - A discovery by François Légaré's team could lead to a more effective use of radiation therapy in oncology. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/improving-cancer-treatments-a-discovery-by-francois-legare-s-…
Making movies of matter as it changes: Researchers use Canada’s most powerful laser to probe everything from how plants grow to how metals behave under stress.  https://www.innovation.ca/projects-results/research-stories/making-movies-matter-it-changes-advance…
Laser beams make lightning tunnels http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/06/laser-beams-make-lightning-tunnels
From basic science to application | Francois Légaré | TEDxConcordia https://youtu.be/P5OtIt2OVaw
Toward real time observation of electron dynamics in atoms and molecules http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110309112908.htm
A molecule’s transformation filmed at high resolution http://phys.org/news/2014-07-molecule-high-resolution.html
Simplifying an ultrafast laser offers better control http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140514100314.htm
Researchers to develop new type of particle accelerator using laser wakefield acceleration http://www.azooptics.com/News.aspx?newsID=16704
The 10 discoveries of 2015: Taming lightning http://www.quebecscience.qc.ca/10-decouvertes-2015/10-Dompter-les-eclairs
Towards a more compact and less expensive particle accelerator http://www.enerzine.com/603/15603+vers-un-accelerateur-de-particules-plus-compact-et-moins-cher+.html