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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
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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

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References

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