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.