Group of Lasers and Plasmas

06/10/2026

GoLP at European Researchers' Night 2026 🔬

On 25 September, GoLP/IPFN took part in the European Researchers' Night at MUHNAC-ULisboa

GoLP brought lasers and plasmas to life through hands-on demonstrations — from plasma discharge tubes and Jacob's Ladder to GoLP's own virtual reality glasses, giving visitors an immersive glimpse into plasma-based particle accelerators and light–matter interactions.

From children asking their first physics questions to adults keen to keep up with frontier research, every chat reminded us why science communication matters.



Instituto Superior Técnico
IPFN - Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear

01/10/2026

Exciting news 🔬✨

Gonçalo Vaz, one of our PhD students 🎓️ , has been featured in the latest issue of Laserlab Forum — a newsletter that highlights the best of laser science in Europe!✨

Gonçalo is working on developing high-power laser amplifiers in the mid-infrared range, aiming to advance our lab’s capabilities in particle acceleration and attosecond science. His path to a PhD was itself shaped by Laserlab-Europe: a grant supported a year of research at GoLP before he committed to the PhD — a decision he hasn’t looked back from.

Congratulations Gonçalo! 🎉

📚 Read the full feature at https://tinyurl.com/musxeuxm



Instituto Superior Técnico
IPFN - Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear

29/09/2026

#9 — and this time we're heading to Iceland! 🧭❄️🇮🇸

Gonçalo Figueira was spotted at the magnificent Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, GoLP T-shirt proudly on display among the icebergs. 👕

Thank you Gonçalo for taking GoLP to one of the most spectacular places on Earth!

Where will our T-shirt turn up next? 📸



Instituto Superior Técnico
IPFN - Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear

23/09/2026

On August 12, 2026, we watched the solar eclipse the safe way — by projecting the Sun onto a screen. ☀️🌑

Our team put together an improvised solar projector using two achromatic lenses, mounted on the arm of a mobile crane that used its hydraulic lift to track the Sun as it moved. A shaded screen boosted contrast, and a sighting system kept everything pointed in the right direction.

The result was surprisingly sharp — clear enough to spot sunspots and even hints of relief on the Moon's surface. Not bad for a first attempt with improvised equipment!

This joint effort brought together instruments from two GoLP labs: LPTA and VOXEL led by Nelson Lopes and Marta Fajardo 🔭

The next opportunity: August 2, 2027 — a near-total eclipse visible from Lisbon between 8:40 and 10:54 AM, peaking at 9:44 AM. We're already thinking about the next one!


Instituto Superior Técnico
IPFN - Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear

21/09/2026

🎉 We're thrilled to announce the publication of Relativistic Plasmas: Acceleration and Radiation by Tito Mendonça (CRC Press)!

What occurs when plasma — the fourth state of matter — travels at velocities approaching the speed of light? This book tackles that question head-on, presenting a thorough and current exploration of relativistic plasmas and the leading-edge research around them: plasma accelerators, intense laser–plasma interactions, and next-generation radiation sources.

Balanced between rigor and clarity, it’s an essential reference for postgraduate students and researchers across disciplines — from astrophysics to laser physics — seeking to grasp some of the most powerful and unusual phenomena in the universe.

Huge congratulations to Tito on this achievement! 🙌

📖 https://www.routledge.com/Relativistic-Plasmas-Acceleration-and-Radiation/Mendonca/p/book/9781032843674




Instituto Superior Técnico
IPFN - Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear

Relativistic Plasmas: Acceleration and Radiation gives a consistent description of relativistic plasmas and focuses on recent advances in plasma accelerators, radiation sources and intense laser-plasma interactions. The book is a useful reference on plasma physics for postgraduate students and resea...

17/09/2026

🎓 Congratulations to Gonçalo Figueira on his Habilitation in Physics at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa!

Gonçalo presented the lesson "Spatiotemporal Couplings in Ultrafast Optics" — a field at the cutting edge of laser science, with far-reaching implications for high-power laser systems and ultrafast photonics.

The jury brought together an outstanding panel of international experts:
🔹 José Santos Victor (Técnico ULisboa) — President
🔹 Günter Steinmeyer (MBI Berlin, Germany)
🔹 Vincent Bagnoud (GSI Darmstadt, Germany)
🔹 Katalin Varjú (ELI ALPS, Hungary)
🔹 Luís Arnaut (Universidade de Coimbra)
🔹 Frederico Fiúza (Técnico ULisboa)

A well-deserved milestone — Congratulations, Gonçalo! 👏




IPFN - Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear

14/09/2026

#8 with Chiara Badiali — our former member’s still sporting the tee 👕
Chiara walked part of the Camino de Santiago; here she is arriving in Burgos to witness the total eclipse ☀️🌑🕶️

More about the eclipse shortly. Stay tuned!

02/09/2026

Fresh shots from the GoLP team 📸 👕
#7 - Fabián Macias in Guadalajara, Spain caught the total eclipse. 🌞 🌕️ 🌍️

21/08/2026

📸 Further north along Portugal’s Atlantic coast, we spotted Susana Muiños for #6 at Praia da Tocha, a classic fishing spot where the traditional Arte Xávega method is still practised.👕 🐟️ 🚤 🏖️ 🇵🇹

19/08/2026

Back in Portugal for #5 with João Mendanha Dias in Vila Nova de Milfontes ☀️ 🤿 🎣

Sunlit beaches 🏖️ , Atlantic breezes and the scent of charcoal-grilled fish make it a memorable stop—wish you could smell the fresh Portuguese seafood. 🍽️ 🐟️

📸 we continue spotting members enjoying the season in their tees 👕