The L3 HAPLS laser system achieved a peak power of 0.95 petawatts, delivering 26.6 J of energy in a 28 fs pulse during the ongoing phased commissioning. The result exceeded the performance expected at this stage of development and represents a significant operational milestone on the system's path to full design capability.

This achievement is the result of a long-term collaboration between ELI and  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ( LLNL ), building on many years of shared experience in high-power laser technologies. Following the installation of the L3 HAPLS laser system at ELI, experts from both institutions are working together to safely and systematically increase the laser's power towards its design parameters.

The key challenge was the performance of specific optical components operating at high laser intensities and the gradual increase in the energy of the high-power short-pulse amplifier. Operation at such high intensities requires a careful balance between maximizing the laser power and the durability of the optical components exposed to the highest loads. The joint team therefore performed an extensive analysis of the results obtained in the previous phase and numerical simulations, which led to the optimization of specific optical subsystems and the design of further improvements. The results achieved confirm the predictions of the analyses and demonstrate both the potential of the used laser technology and the success of the chosen strategy of gradual increase in power.

“Achieving a power of almost one petawatt confirms that the laser can be safely and predictably advanced towards its design parameters,” says Roman Hvězda, Director of ELI Beamlines. “This is a crucial step before the system can be routinely operated at full power for experiments.”

The next steps will focus on further increasing the nominal peak power to one petawatt and beyond, while simultaneously achieving a repetition rate of 3.3 Hz and later even higher. These operating conditions will significantly increase the scientific capacity of the facility and enable the implementation of demanding experimental campaigns that require a combination of extreme peak power and high data collection rates.

Currently, the L3 HAPLS is one of the most widely used laser systems in the ELI user program, serving three experimental stations. Its unique combination of top performance, stability, high reliability and repetition rate enables the implementation of a wide range of user experiments.

The laser supports a wide range of research activities, including laser-controlled acceleration of ultrashort particle beams, generation of high-intensity hard X-rays, high-energy density physics, radiobiology, and advanced materials research. These capabilities open up possibilities for further developments in medical imaging, industrial diagnostics, cultural heritage research, energy, and security applications.

The continued commissioning of the L3 HAPLS system advances the capabilities of laser technologies and further expands the capacities of ELI as an international user infrastructure for research in the field of extreme fields and high energy densities.

Source: Science and Research