The evolution of laser systems to increasingly shorter and higher power pulse configurations is reaching realizations that produce laser pulses close to the peak petawatt (1 PW = 1015 W) with some femtoseconds (1 fs = 10-15 s) of duration. The operation of these lasers leads to the appearance of physical phenomena that did not manifest in the pulsed lasers known until now, among other ionizing radiation, or filamentation of the light beam, and that pose risks to people in case of Exhibition. At the same time, account must be taken of the risks inherently ate the equipment needed to generate and configure this laser radiation. Add to all the difficulty of achieving protection from exposure due to the widened spectrum and the non-linear effects of ultra-fast pulse.
Since pulsed femtosecond lasers open up new possibilities in many fields of application (manufacturing technologies, medical treatments, X-ray generation...), it is not risky to predict that in a few years they will have such everyday applications like the ones we're used to using today.
On the other hand, the study of the risks that has been carried out in PLUS (Ultrafast Laser Protection) allows us to define risk assessment and safety assessment services for research centers that develop ultra-fast lasers and also for companies that will develop applications of this technology and in those that use it.
At ProCareLight we have carried out the PLUS project (Protection against Ultrafast LaserS) in which we have studied the risks that accompany this type of lasers, and we are able to offer risk assessment and safety advisory services for the centers of research that develop or use ultrafast lasers and for companies that develop applications of this technology or use it.
Project funded by the CDTI under the NEOTEC Programme. Programa Estatal de Liderazgo Empresarial en I+D+i, within the framework of the Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2013-2016. File 00094005 / SNEO-20161176
