Strathclyde deploys machine learning to design mirrors for high-power lasers

04 Feb 2026

Plasma mirrors will cope with powerful lasers designed with “emerging ML framework”.

Researchers in Physics and Computer Science at the University of Strathclyde have pooled their knowledge of lasers and artificial intelligence (AI) to produce a technology that can significantly reduce the time it takes to design advanced optical components for lasers. The team says that this achievement could pave the way for new discoveries in science.

High-power lasers are promising tools for developing new solutions for healthcare, manufacturing and nuclear fusion. However, says the Strathclyde group, “these are becoming large and expensive owing to the size of their optical components” – which is currently necessary to keep the laser beam intensity low enough not to damage them.

As the peak power of lasers increases, the diameters of mirrors and other optical components will need to rise from approximately one meter to more than 10 meters. These would weigh several tonnes, making them difficult and expensive to manufacture.

Accelerated process

The researchers have explored an alternative use of plasma, which is highly resistant to damage. This could reduce the size of the mirrors to millimeters, but the challenge has been designing plasma structures that reflect light efficiently and reliably. The researchers have accelerated the design process by coupling machine learning algorithms with computer models.

The research is described in Nature Communications Physics.

Slav Ivanov, of Strathclyde’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences, lead author, said: “A traditional design approach develops many prototypes that are tested on each cycle to eventually realise the objectives. This usually involves numerous iterations, and the complete design process can involve hundreds of thousands to millions of iterations. Machine learning shortens it to just a few dozen or so iterations before an optimum design is found.”

Prof. Dino Jaroszynski, of Strathclyde’s Department of Physics, a partner in the study, added: “This research can also be an engine of discovery. By specifying a particular objective, only limited by our imagination, the mirror can compress a pulse; this was wholly unexpected. By investigating why the pulse compresses, we discovered it is due to a time boundary.

“The plasma layers deform like a concertina, which adds new frequencies to the reflected pulse and delays different parts of it, leading to compression. This has far-reaching implications. We can tailor a design to meet our objectives and potentially discover new mechanisms,” said Prof. Jaroszynski.