Prague Asterix Laser System Project ID: LM2023068 Provider: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic Period: Jan 01, 2023 - Dec 31, 2026 Recipient - coordinator Institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague Principal Investigator: Ing. Miroslav KrĹŻs, Ph.D. Co-recepient(s) / PI(s): Institute of Physics of the CAS, v. v. i. -- Ing. Libor Juha, CSc. Co-investigators from IPP M. Krupka, Z. VanÄŤura, E. Horvath, L. Vedral, Ĺ. JelĂ­nek, S. Singh, R. Dudžák, D. Ješátko, M. Merfait, P. Prchal, M. ÄŚerveĹ�ák, O. Renner, J. Dostál, R. Baše Aims of the project: The goal of the project is to ensure material and human operational resources for the international laser research infrastructure PALS in the period of 2023-26. This unique kJ-class high-power iodine photodissociation laser facility PALS (Prague Asterix Laser System) has been serving European research community since 2000, belonging currently to the five largest civilian lasers in EU, and the only one where the iodine (subnanosecond) and Ti: Sa (femtosecond) laser pulses are synchronized for demanding pump-and-probe experiments. The PALS as a founding member of the Laserlab-Europe consortium offers open access to European users, serving simultaneously as a training site in the field of laser and laser-plasma physics for both Czech and foreign students and young scientists. Its extensive international collaboration has resulted in substantial increase in domestic scientific capacities in the above fields and thus also in the quality of scientific outputs and prestige of the Czech laser research as a whole. The main objectives of the new project include: (1) to create conditions for further increasing the quality of training of young laser scientists. (2) to meet the demand to the experimental beamtime of both the domestic and foreign users participating at the coordinated European research, benchmark experiments and development works for major European laser projects. (3) to provide to Czech industrial subjects, potential suppliers of equipment of laser laboratories the necessary experimental base and know-how. (4) to prepare substantial innovation of the PALS infrastructure to ensure its efficient cooperation European laser facilities and Laserlab-Europe projects in the period 2023-26. (5) to achieve new scientific results in high-prestige fields of laser physics, high-power photonics, high energy density physics, and high-energy chemistry.