In our new lab, we are studying how to inject the maximum amount of energy inside dense states of matter to create so-called “high energy density” (HED), that is matter in unprecedented states on Earth – well, the same matter as present in stars and in many places in the Universe.

By producing experimentally these HED states, we can work on ways to improve harnessing controlled fusion – to produce unlimited levels of clean energy. But we can also investigate experimentally many astrophysical phenomena, from star formation to star explosion. And finally we can also use the particles and radiation that are produced by these HED states of matter for applications, e.g. materials probing