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idw - Informationsdienst
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Starting June 1, 2025, Dr. Jonas Ohland, laser physicist at GSI/FAIR, will lead the young investigator group ALADIN (Adaptive Laser Architecture Development and INtegration). For this purpose, he will receive funding of 2.8 million euros over five years from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space as part of the “Fusionstalente” (fusion talents) program. The ALADIN project lays the foundation for the realization of stable, efficient lasers for inertial confinement fusion.
Inertial fusion involves compressing and heating a tiny fuel capsule using extremely rapid energy input until nuclear fusion starts. Powerful laser beams could be used to achieve this uniform compression and ignition. However, these lasers must deliver high-energy pulses in quick succession, which exposes them to intense heat and stress. To make them viable for future power plants, smart and scalable solutions for beam control are needed — solutions that can be automated and integrated into large-scale systems.
The ALADIN young investigators group aims to fundamentally improve the control of such high-power lasers. Their approach: an “Adaptive Laser Architecture” (ALA) that integrates all key control elements directly into an intelligent support system. This setup allows for better beam guidance while reducing the need for manual intervention. ALA could enable the simultaneous control of hundreds of laser systems — a critical requirement for building large-scale fusion facilities.
“I am very grateful for this support and the opportunity to push the boundaries of laser beam control,” says Ohland. “With ALADIN, we aim to make significant progress in making next-generation high-power lasers more robust and practical — especially with regard to inertial fusion. Our goal is to bridge the gap between research and real-world applications in this rapidly evolving field.”
“The results will benefit not only fusion research, but also other areas where high-power lasers are needed — such as the laser industry or large-scale scientific facilities,” adds Professor Vincent Bagnoud, head of the GSI/FAIR research department “Plasma Physics/PHELIX”, to which Ohland belongs. “There is also great potential for our own high-power laser system PHELIX — a petawatt laser which can be combined with the ion beam from the particle accelerator for the experiments — to improve our operations and thus our research opportunities.”
Professor Thomas Nilsson, Scientific Managing Director of GSI and FAIR, says: “My congratulations on the young investigators group go to our ‘fusion talent’ Dr. Jonas Ohland. The successful funding application represents the wealth of ideas and the expertise of our young scientists. Training and supporting the next generation of researchers is a matter close to our hearts and a necessity for our future at the international accelerator facility FAIR. Fusion-related research will also play an important role in the FAIR research program.”
ALADIN is cooperating with Focused Energy GmbH, a fusion energy startup in Darmstadt, and other scientific institutions to develop and disseminate ALA technology in order to ensure its long-term industrial application. After the funding period, an ALADIN Community Competence Group hosted by GSI/FAIR will focus on open ALA research, industrial cooperation and education, financed by third-party funds and income from licenses and services.
About Dr. Jonas Ohland
Dr. Jonas Ohland studied at the Technical University of Darmstadt and obtained his PhD in 2022 with a thesis at the GSI/FAIR high-power laser PHELIX (Petawatt-High-Energy Laser for Ion Experiments). Subsequently he worked as a postdoc at the Apollon laser facility in Paris, France, as part of the THRILL project — a European research consortium coordinated by GSI to provide new designs and high-performance components for high-energy lasers with high repetition rates — before returning to GSI/FAIR in 2024. His pioneering work at Apollon led to impressive results in the field of real-time adaptive optics for high-power lasers and served as the basis for the ALADIN application.
About the “Fusionstalente” program
“Fusionstalente” — a young investigators program, initiated by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space — aims to strengthen expertise in fusion research by fostering the development of young scientific talent. It supports early-career researchers through targeted funding of their own group, training opportunities, and access to cutting-edge fusion research facilities. By investing in the next generation of fusion scientists, the program contributes to advancing sustainable and innovative energy solutions in Germany and Europe. The Fusionstalente program is part of the funding program “Fusion 2040 – Research on the Way to the Fusion Power Plant”.
https://www.gsi.de/en/start/news/details/2025/06/02/fusionstalent
Dr. Jonas Ohland working at the laser.
Photo: J. Hornung, GSI/FAIR
Dr. Jonas Ohland – Portrait
Photo: private
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