Startup TAU Systems is to open a new type of smaller and cheaper particle accelerator for industrial companies, including in aerospace, after raising US$35 million in investment.
Spun out of the University of Texas at Austin in 2021, TAU Systems this month closed a US$20 million funding round, bring the total it has raised to commercialize its ultra-fast and compact laser-plasma accelerator technology to US$35 million.
The funds will be used to open TAU Labs, the first privately owned and operated laser-particle accelerator in Carlsbad, California.
TAU Systems said its first customer at the center is a “major satellite manufacturing company”. The first applications focusing on radiation testing for space electronics and other environments, as well as other applications using ultrahigh-power laser, electron, or x-ray beams.
Laser-driven particle accelerators speed charged particles, such as electrons or protons, to very high energies close to the speed of light, allowing researchers to study subatomic particles and their interactions with targets or each other. However, the large size and high cost of particle accelerators mean it is usually difficult for companies to access the facilities for so-called “beamtime”.
TAU Systems uses ultrafast lasers and AI-based control systems to shrink the footprint required to operate particle accelerators from miles to meters. By compacting the high-power laser-driven accelerators into a room, the company says it can make particle accelerators more cost-efficient and accessible to industry.
Bjorn Manuel Hegelich, CEO and founder of TAU Systems said, “This investment is a major step forward for TAU and for advancing the future of radiation testing for space applications.
“We can now offer Beamtime-as-a-Service specifically tailored for space radiation testing, as well as x-ray imaging, metrology, and medical research.
“Our laser-driven accelerator technology enables precise, repeatable, and customizable radiation environments that help aerospace companies, satellite developers, defense agencies and space centres to validate and harden their systems.
“We’re excited to provide the space industry with faster, more flexible access to the radiation testing capabilities they need, without the wait times of traditional facilities.”
In addition, the funding will support the company’s upcoming research programs with academic and industrial partners including DARPA and NASA’s JPL.
Investors in TAU include Quantonation, original seed investor, Team Global, Alumni Ventures, Impact Ventures, UT Seed Fund and a group of private investors.
