EKSPLA’s employees – among the Lithuanian Science Prize winners

On the afternoon of March 4, an official ceremony honored the recipients of the Lithuanian Science Prize in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, medical and health sciences, agricultural sciences, and technological sciences.

Among the laureates was an outstanding group of scientists whose work has significantly contributed to the advancement of laser technologies. The Technological Sciences Prize was presented to Andrejus Michailovas, EKSPLA’s Chief Scientist; Jonas Adamonis, a high-intensity laser engineer at EKSPLA; Rimantas Budriūnas and Tomas Stanislauskas from Light Conversion; and Arūnas Varanavičius, a senior research fellow at the Vilnius University Laser Research Center. They were recognized for their research cycle “High-Power Multi-Optical-Cycle Pulse Sources for Extreme Light Technologies (2009–2023)”.

This research cycle includes 47 scientific articles published in Lithuanian and international scientific journals and 9 patents registered with the European and Lithuanian patent offices. The studies contributed to the development of advanced high-intensity lasers and significantly expanded their application possibilities in both science and industry.

Around the year 2000, researchers from what is now the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, EKSPLA, Light Conversion, and Vilnius University began joint research in laser technologies. After receiving a request for a broad-spectrum laser pulse amplifier, scientists developed specific lasers based on the Optical Parametric Chirped-Pulse Amplification (OPCPA) technology. This concept was first demonstrated in 1992 by Vilnius University researchers Algis Petras Piskarskas, Audrius Dubietis, and Gediminas Jonušauskas, and projects such as Diogenas and Paradigma helped further develop the technology.

OPCPA entered its golden age in 2014 when EKSPLA and Light Conversion won a bid and successfully developed the SYLOS high-intensity laser system. It was designed for ELI-ALPS (ELI– Attosecond Light Pulse Source) in Hungary, one of the next-generation research centers established under the European collaboration project Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI). A. Varanavičius and his doctoral students played a key role in developing this technology, while A. Michailovas and J. Adamonis designed and refined the high-power pumping lasers.

As a result of close collaboration between science and the private sector, the SYLOS laser series was developed at the ELI-ALPS laboratories, enabling fundamental research and offering new possibilities for X-ray radiation, 4D imaging, biology, life sciences, and attosecond science. Currently, there are already four SYLOS laser systems in operation at ELI-ALPS.

SYLOS lasers stand out for their reliability and long-term stability in their category. Lithuanian scientists have not only created but also mastered the most advanced technologies necessary for the realization of unique lasers. Along with these technological advancements, a new generation of scientists and engineers has emerged, successfully applying their expertise in both scientific research and business, developing OPCPA-based lasers. Their knowledge and efforts have enabled Lithuanian laser companies to establish a leading position globally, offering innovative products and expanding their applications across various fields.