Overview of PETAL, the multi-Petawatt project on the LIL facility

Abstract

A multi-Petawatt high-energy laser PETAL coupled to the Ligne d'Intégration Laser (LIL) is under construction in the Aquitaine Region in France. This Petawatt laser will be dedicated to academic experiments in the fields of high energy density physics and ultra high intensity. Nd : glass laser chain coupled with the chirped pulse amplification (CPA technique allows delivery of high energy. Optical parametric CPA for pre-amplification and a new compression scheme will be implemented. PETAL is designed to deliver 3.6 kJ of energy in 500 fs on a target corresponding to 7.2 PW. The PETAL beam linked to the up to 60 kJ ns UV beams from the LIL will present new scientific research opportunities.

The Standard Solar Model and beyond

“…New tables will be provided and one cannot exclude some plasma effect which could slightly modify the properties of ionization of the different species at higher temperature and density. To verify these assumptions, experiments are under study on large laser facilities like LMJ+PETAL [31,32] for specific elements and mixtures equivalent to the solar composition. These experiments are very difficult to perform as one needs to produce density of the order or greater than solid density at Local Thermodynamics Equilibrium or near.…”

Ultra-Intense, High Spatio-Temporal Quality Petawatt-Class Laser System and Applications

“…If an OPA front end is utilized, the achieved contrast is at the 10 10 level. Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) [42,43] is becoming increasingly popular as a front-end preamplifier system that can significantly improve contrast, but is demonstrated only for the front-end of PW-class Nd:glass laser system for fusion research [44][45][46][47] upstream of an amplifier chain and where the pulse energy is much lower. The use of an OPCPA preamplifier in a petawatt-class high-intensity Ti:sapphire laser has not been demonstrated.…”

Laser ion acceleration in the high laser energy and high laser intensity regimes

“…high brightness and high spectral cut-off, high directionality and laminarity, and short burst duration (∼ps at the source). PETAL is a ultra high energy (UHE) multi-kJ Petawatt-class laser being built in France near Bordeaux [2]. Another new generation of laser systems such as the Apollon laser now being built in France will be able to deliver ultra high intensities (UHI) of the order of 10 23 W/cm 2 .…”

“…PETAL is a ultra high energy (UHE) multi-kJ Petawatt-class laser being built in France near Bordeaux [2]. Another new generation of laser systems such as the Apollon laser now being built in France will be able to deliver ultra high intensities (UHI) of the order of 10 23 W/cm 2 . These facilities open new and exciting opportunities for laser ion acceleration.…”