Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T21:10:55.215Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Vulcan petawatt: Design, operation and interactions at 5 × 1020 Wcm−2

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2005

C.N. DANSON ,
P.A. BRUMMITT ,
R.J. CLARKE ,
J.L. COLLIER ,
B. FELL ,
A.J. FRACKIEWICZ ,
S. HAWKES ,
C. HERNANDEZ-GOMEZ ,
P. HOLLIGAN  and
M.H.R. HUTCHINSON
...Show all authors
C.N. DANSON
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
P.A. BRUMMITT
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
R.J. CLARKE
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
J.L. COLLIER
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
B. FELL
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
A.J. FRACKIEWICZ
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
S. HAWKES
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
C. HERNANDEZ-GOMEZ
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
P. HOLLIGAN
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
M.H.R. HUTCHINSON
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
A. KIDD
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
W.J. LESTER
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
I.O. MUSGRAVE
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
D. NEELY
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
D.R. NEVILLE
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
P.A. NORREYS
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
D.A. PEPLER
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
C.J. REASON
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
W. SHAIKH
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
T.B. WINSTONE
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
R.W.W. WYATT
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
B.E. WYBORN
Affiliation:
CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Vulcan Nd:glass laser at the Central Laser Facility (CLF) is a petawatt (1015 Watts) interaction facility, designed to deliver irradiance on target of 1021W.cm−2 for the UK and international user community. The facility came online to users in 2002 and considerable experience has been gained operating Vulcan in this mode. The facility delivers a wide-ranging experimental program in fundamental physics and advanced applications. This includes the interaction of ultrahigh intensity light with matter, fast ignition fusion research, photon induced nuclear reactions, electron and ion acceleration by light waves, and the exploration of the exotic world of plasma physics dominated by relativity. We report on the first year's operation of the facility and the highlights of the experimental campaigns.

Keywords

Chirped Pulse Amplification; CPA; OPCPA Field; VulcanPetawatt
Type
Research Article
Information
Laser and Particle Beams , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , March 2005 , pp. 87 - 93
Copyright
2005 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Collier, J. et al. (1999). Evaluation of an ultrabroadband high-gain amplification technique for cpa facilities. App. Opt. 38, 7486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Danson, C.D. et al. (1998). Well characterized 1019Wcm−2 operation of VULCAN: An ultrahigh power Nd:glass laser. J. Modern Opt. 45, 1653.Google Scholar
Habara, H., Lancaster, K.L. & Norreys, P.A. (2003). Neutron spectroscopy using the LaNSA detector on the Vulcan laser facility. CLF Ann. Rep. 2002/03, 185–186.Google Scholar
Ledingham, K.W.D. et al. (2003). Laser-driven phototransmutation of 129I: A long lived nuclear waste product. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 36, L79–L82.Google Scholar
Mulser, P. & Bauer, D. (2004). Fast ignition of fusion pellets with superintense lasers: Concepts problems and prospectives. Laser Part. Beams 22, 5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mulser, P. & Schneider, R. (2004). On the inefficiency of hole boring. Laser Part. Beams 22, 157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strickland, D. & Mourou, G. (1985). Compression of amplified chirped optical pulses. Opt. Comm. 56, 219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tabak, M. et al. (1994). Ignition and high gain with ultrapowerful lasers. Phys Plasmas 1, 1626.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welch, D.R., Rose, D.V., Oliver, B.V. & Clark, R.E. (2001). Simulation techniques for heavy ion fusion chamber transport. Nucl. Instr. Meth. A464, 134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar