Discovery to Impact at The University of Texas at Austin has invested $250,000 through the UT Seed Fund in TAU Systems, a company focused on commercializing the world's first compact laser-driven particle accelerator to expedite breakthroughs in environmental solutions, manufacturing and health care. TAU Systems represents the eighth UT Seed Fund investment across its portfolio composed of ground-breaking University-based discoveries in computer sciences, physical sciences and life sciences.
Founded by UT physics professor Björn Manuel Hegelich, TAU Systems will use the investment toward developing TAU Labs, an R&D center and radiation testing facility in Carlsbad, California providing industrial users with access to cutting-edge particle and imaging systems.
"TAU Systems aligns with our investment strategy to get discoveries out of the lab and into the world to have lasting impact. What began as a prototype at UT Austin, TAU Systems' particle accelerators will enable the next wave of scientific discoveries with a wide variety of applications," said Mark Arnold, assistant vice president for Discovery to Impact and managing director of Texas Startups. "We are excited to continue to support their journey to transform industries."
Laser-driven particle accelerators are incredibly powerful tools that speed charged particles, such as electrons or protons, to very high energies often close to the speed of light - allowing scientists to study the ultra-small universe of subatomic particles and their interactions with targets or each other. Before TAU Systems' development, science and industry had few opportunities to get "beamtime" with particle accelerators for research due to their scarcity and large size. TAU Systems uses advanced laser technology to shrink the footprint required to operate particle accelerators from miles to meters. By compacting the high-power laser-driven accelerators into one room, TAU Systems is making the technology more cost-efficient and accessible to researchers and industry.
With myriad possibilities, the compact particle accelerator can be used to simulate the effect of space radiation on satellites and spacecrafts, improve the design and manufacturing of semiconductor chips, reduce nuclear waste, and even develop cancer therapies and advanced medical diagnostic techniques.
"TAU Systems is appreciative of this investment from Discovery to Impact during this next phase of development at TAU Labs," said Hegelich, who is also TAU Systems' CEO. "It ensures we're the first commercial laser beamtime facility in the world to open and the first with physical tried-and-tested technology."
"We are convinced that by democratizing access to such exciting machines and advanced technology, we can make a transformative impact across almost every industry and the economy."
