The I-LUCE (INFN-Laser IndUCEd radiation production) facility at INFN-LNS (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud) encompassing a total area of 407.5 m2, hosts a compact laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) system that complements conventional accelerators.  The state-of-the-art design supports a broad range of experiments, such as radiation generation (electron, proton, neutron) and particle acceleration (electron, proton), as well as fusion studies, nuclear physics, and medical physics research within the same interaction chamber. The facility is currently under commissioning and is expected to be fully operational by 2028.

The development of the I-LUCE infrastructure is supported by three strategic Italian projects under the PNRR programs: ANTHEM (AdvaNced Technology for Human centEred Medicine), EUAPS (EuPRAXIA Advanced Photon Sources), and SAMOTHRACE (Sicilian Micro and Nano Technology Research and Innovation Center).

The heart of the facility is a Titanium-Sapphire (Ti:Sa) laser system from the THALES LAS QUARK series, engineered to achieve peak power levels of up to 320 TW. This TW-class system delivers pulse energies between 1 J and 7.7 J, pulse durations ranging from 23 fs to 150 fs. Complementing the high-power line, a low-power (9 mJ, 32 fs, 1 kHz) secondary laser system (Astrella, Coherent Inc) is integrated into the facility. This system is specifically paired with micro-nozzle targets for low-energy electron generation (1-8 MeV), allowing for high-precision studies at lower energy scales.