Engineer Antonia Toma turns on the most potent laser in the world in the control room of a Romanian research facility, promising dramatic breakthroughs in everything from space travel to the medical field.
The French company Thales uses ideas that have won Nobel prizes to run the laser at the center, which is located close to Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
The 2018 Nobel Physics Prize was shared by Canadian Donna Strickland and Frenchman Gérard Mourou for their work using lasers to create cutting-edge precision equipment used in industry and corrective eye surgery.
“The sharp beams of laser light have given us new opportunities for deepening our knowledge about the world and shaping it,” said the Nobel Academy’s citation.
At the centre, in front of a wall of screens displaying light beams, Toma checks a series of indicators before starting the countdown.
On the other side of the glass, long rows of red and black boxes house two laser systems.
“I will not lie. From time to time, things can get a little stressful,” 29-year-old Toma told AFP during a recent on-site press visit.
“But it’s also very joyful to work here. And we are very happy that we have results” as teams of international researchers come to the centre, she added.
