Europe's Innovative Plan to Harness Optical Vortex Technologies

Europe has launched a bold initiative to harness twisting beams of light, through a Doctoral Network led by Tampere University, which has secured 4.4 million euros from the European Union's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program.

This initiative, named High-Power Optical Vortices, or HiPOVor, aims to train 15 doctoral researchers in the creation, strengthening, and application of high-power optical vortex beams. Optical vortices are light beams that carry orbital angular momentum, presenting significant potential for ultra-precise material processing, accelerating particles, expanding data transmission capacity, and enabling next-generation photonics.

However, their broader application has been constrained by the challenges of generating reliable techniques to maintain these beams' unique characteristics during travel or interaction with various materials.

The HiPOVor network seeks to overcome these obstacles through coordinated research and interdisciplinary training. Participants will develop skills throughout the entire development pipeline, focusing on designing components, studying light-matter interactions, enhancing high-power amplification, and advancing practical applications.

Dr. Regina Gumenyuk, the Project Coordinator at Tampere University, emphasized that the network is focused on shaping the next generation of scientists and innovators in photonics, supporting the creation of new products and more efficient processes, including innovations in optical components and nanofabrication.

Anticipated environmental benefits include a circular economy approach aimed at decreasing the use of hazardous chemicals and reducing the size and energy demands of hardware through advanced predictive technologies for high-power vortices.

Professor Goery Genty from Tampere University added that high-power optical vortices hold transformative potential for applications ranging from precision manufacturing to high-resolution imaging. The HiPOVor network collaborates with universities, industrial partners, and research institutions across Europe, engaging in innovation and knowledge exchange in photonics.

The project is set to commence on January 1, 2026, and includes eight leading academic institutions specializing in structured light and high-power laser technology, as well as the Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics, the world's most powerful laser facility, along with nine industrial partners.

This initiative is part of Horizon Europe, the European Union's primary funding program for doctoral and postdoctoral researcher training. The development of high-power optical vortex technologies is crucial to advancing renewable energy solutions, with hopes for breakthroughs in energy efficiency and sustainability as the HiPOVor initiative unfolds.