Long citation

Christophe Laux is a pioneering figure in nanosecond discharge research whose work has fundamentally transformed the field. His contributions have driven the evolution of nanosecond discharges from a scientific concept to industrially-relevant technologies, with three concrete advances directly supporting energy transition and decarbonization efforts: the demonstration of plasma-assisted combustion in aeronautical combustors; the development of predictive modelling tools enabling the use of nanosecond discharges in industrial applications; and the use of nanosecond discharges for methane plasmalysis at an industrial scale.

In plasma-assisted combustion, Laux is widely recognized as a leading authority, as evidenced by his ERC-funded research, his comprehensive reviews of the field, and his role in organizing the first International Symposium on Plasma-Assisted Combustion (SoPAC). One of the exceptional contributions he made to the community concerns scalability. Several studies of plasma-assisted combustion demonstrated that high-voltage (1 – 10 kV) nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) discharges applied at high frequencies (10 – 100 kHz) can extend the operating range of burners, reduce their pollutant emissions, and improve the ignition properties of fuels. However, these studies were long confined to laboratory-scale burners (thermal powers below 10 kW). While Christophe Laux contributed to these fundamental studies, he also demonstrated the capability of the technology to function at high powers (> 100 kW) representative of aeronautical combustors. These achievements were recognized in 2024 with the start of the DEMO-PAC demonstrator, pursued in partnership with Safran Aircraft Engines. This demonstrator features nanosecond discharges applied at high frequencies within a full-scale aeronautical injector operated under industrial conditions (e.g., high pressure, liquid-fuel operation, and high thermal power). This demonstration marks the last decisive step from an academic proof-of-concept to the full deployment in an aeronautical application and could not have been possible without the last twenty years of development within Laux’s laboratory.

The second major contribution to plasma-assisted combustion is predictive modelling. The detailed simulation of nanosecond discharges is computationally prohibitive, as the characteristic spatial and temporal scales of plasmas (~μm and ~ps) differ by many orders of magnitude from those of reacting flows in combustors (~m and ~s). This scale disparity long prevented the inclusion of plasma effects in combustion simulations, effectively blocking any systematic design or optimization at industrial scale. Christophe Laux addressed this fundamental limitation by introducing a physically-grounded phenomenological model for energy branching in NRP discharges, building on his earlier identification of the “ultrafast heating mechanism”. This approach dramatically reduced computational cost while retaining quantitative accuracy. To date, it remains the only viable approach for simulating nanosecond discharges in realistic flame configurations and has enabled industrial actors such as Safran to incorporate plasma effects into large-eddy simulations, which are the cornerstone of modern combustor design. Together, these two contributions – demonstrations at aeronautically scales and innovative modelling of NRP discharges – establish Laux as a key architect of the transition of plasma-assisted combustion into a credible industrial technology.

Beyond plasma-assisted combustion, Laux has also had a major impact in the field of hydrogen and solid carbon production via methane plasmalysis, a key technology for the low-carbon energy transition. Building on more than two decades of research on nanosecond discharges in reactive mixtures, his group developed unique expertise in efficiently coupling electrical energy into methane plasmas. Together with one of his former Ph.D. students, this know-how enabled high conversion of CH4 into H2 while minimizing by-products and thermal losses. In addition to low-carbon H2, the process yields valuable solid carbon – including carbon black and carbon nanotubes – suitable for applications in polymers, batteries, and electronic components, and significantly improves the overall economic balance of the technology. This scientific and technological foundation directly enabled the growth of Spark Cleantech, a start-up founded on concepts developed in Christophe Laux’s laboratory. Several of his former Ph.D. students or post-docs are now key contributors within the company. In 2025, the maturity and scalability of this technology were confirmed by a €30 million capital raise, providing a strong industrial validation of the research initiated and sustained by Laux as a scientific advisor.

In addition to plasma-assisted combustion and methane plasmalysis, Laux also serves as a scientific advisor to Airity Technologies (high-voltage DC and pulsed supplies) and PICO (water treatment using nanosecond discharges). Finally, he is a founder of SpectralFit, a company providing the SPECAIR software used by countless research groups, agencies, and industries to interpret plasma emission