Physics and applied optics

The "Laboratoire d’optique appliquée (LOA)" is a joint research unit of the CNRS, École Polytechnique, and ENSTA that has been a pioneer in laser-matter interaction and plasma physics for over 30 years.

The laboratory's research activities cover a wide range of topics in ultrafast science, including the development of ultra-intense femtosecond (10-15 seconds) laser systems, the physics of laser filamentation in air, and the creation of compact sources of radiation and energetic particles for academic, societal, and industrial applications.

The LOA is continuing to develop the LAPLACE project, a center dedicated to laser-plasma accelerators.

Areas of application
  • Biomedical research
  • Defense
  • Energy
  • Environment

Research topics

LASER-MATTER INTERACTION, PLASMA PHYSICS, ULTRA-FAST SCIENCE

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MEKA Solutions: A Robot to Make Harvesting Traditional Breton Vegetables Easier

An engineer and the son of a farmer, Corentin Le Méhauté founded MEKA Solutions to provide practical solutions to the challenges facing the agricultural sector. His startup, incubated at ENSTARTUPS, offers a robot designed to assist with vegetable...

Institute | Training | Student Life
First Joint Start of the School Year at ENSTA’s Two Campuses

Marking the completion of the merger that officially began on January 1, 2025, ENSTA’s 2026 academic year was the first to take place simultaneously and via a dual-campus format between the Paris-Saclay and Brest campuses. August 31 was a doubly historic...

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Marking the completion of the merger that officially began on January 1, 2025, ENSTA’s 2026 academic year was the first to take place simultaneously and via a dual-campus format between the Paris-Saclay and Brest campuses. August 31 was a doubly historic...

Alumni | Innovation
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Founded in late 2024, the startup We.Deploy(Science) was created by Nedeleg Bigi and Hugo Kerhascoët, two childhood friends with a passion for sailing and engineering. Thanks to their complementary skills, they specialize in the control and optimization...

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