Partners - CESTA

Description: A research centre dedicated to high power laser for fusion experiments, CESTA houses 3 high
energy class laser facilities: ALISE, LIL (Ligne d’Intégration Laser) and LMJ (Laser Mégajoule). ALISE is a
single beam 250 J class laser devoted to plasma experiments. LIL is an 8 beam laser that is at scale 1, the
prototype of the LMJ laser facility that is still under construction. LMJ will be a 2 MJ class laser with 240
beams. ALISE and LIL are operating since 2001 both in the ns regime at 351 nm but ALISE can amplify
stretched pulses from fs oscillators and compress then to 500 fs. LMJ will be ready for operation in 2012.
The LIL facility will be housing a multi petawatt single beam line laser in 2010. The LIL facility has a target
chamber for testing plasma diagnostics for LMJ. The LIL facility will be opened for Access in 2010 in a four
beam configuration delivering 30 kJ (10 TW) at 351 nm. Although on site infrastructure is mainly devoted to
high power laser design and operation, there is intense partnership with the neighbouring CELIA
infrastructure in Bordeaux. CELIA and CESTA therefore constitute a joint Bordeaux node within the
LASERLAB EUROPE Consortium.

Excellence: High power laser design and engineering at the scale of fusion experiments. Laser design
software MIRO.

Main tasks: CESTA will be involved in the LASERLAB EUROPE HAPPIE JRA, and LASERLAB
EUROPE Access with ALISE (3 weeks/year)

Previous experience: Within LASERLAB EUROPE (FP6) OTTER JRA, CESTA has obtained important
results in laser damage understanding and metrology in the sub ps regime. In the FP5, CESTA co-ordinated
the ADAPTOOL programme on adaptive optics for high power lasers.

>>> Access facility Cesta

Address:

Centre d'Etudes Scientifiques et Techniques d’Aquitaine (CESTA)

F- 33114 Le Barp

France

http://www-dam.cea.fr/statique/sitesDAM/vdc_cesta_accueil.htm