Laser-matter interaction in material processing: Towards more knowledge and better control

The Scientific Laser Application (SLA) department was established in 2020 as a team that combines experimental and theoretical studies of the response of different materials to the action of short and ultrashort pulsed lasers. The team has constructed a state-of-the-art laser laboratory equipped with advanced diagnostics for investigations of the interaction of laser light with different materials at the frontier of material science. An essential feature of the department is a tight link between experimental and theoretical studies, a concept that already brings fruitful outcomes. A deep understanding of the fundamental phenomena involved in the laser action on materials of different kinds makes possible the elaboration of new approaches, new methodologies, and novel applications.  In this talk, the latest achievements of the SLA department in the field of laser material science will be presented. This includes comprehensive studies of ultrashort pulse laser action on transparent materials revealing the ways for strong localized absorption of laser light inside bulk dielectrics, extension of the plasmonic theory to lossy materials which has enabled to outline ways for high-quality material nanostructuring, synthesis of new nanomaterials for catalysis and bio-medical applications by laser ablation in liquid and pulsed laser deposition, 2D material synthesis and functionalization, selective non-thermal laser crystallization of semiconductors, novel effects of dual-wavelength laser ablation. Several comprehensive theoretical approaches used in our studies will be unveiled, including one of the most advanced models for simulations of laser energy coupling to transparent materials and state-ofthe-art quantum simulations of ultrafast processes in laser-excited matter, with examples of their applications to real experimental conditions. Finally, further perspectives on laser-matter interaction studies in the SLA department will be discussed.