Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 April 1999
LULI will play an important role as a major laser ICF and IFE support facility in Europe after recent or future changes (ASTERIX-Garching, CEA-Limeil) in large laser system programs. We will review the research activities which have been carried out at LULI during the last 2 years both in the nanosecond regime and in the subpicosecond ultraintense regime. As part of the LULI upgrade project, a new 30-J, 300-fs, 100-TW ultraintense laser chain has been commissioned in 1997. This laser has allowed the first complete demonstration of wakefield electron acceleration and is presently used to study new concepts in laser fusion and laser–plasma interaction experiments in the relativistic regime.