Laser safety design considerations for the EPAC 10 Hz petawatt laser system
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The Extreme Photonics and Applications Centre (EPAC) is a world-leading 10 Hz petawatt laser system being built in the Central Laser Facility (CLF) at the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. EPAC will generate extreme conditions for fundamental laser-plasma physics and high-energy (multi-GeV) electron acceleration as well as providing secondary sources for industrial research applications. The facility will house a 10 Hz, 30 fs, 30 J laser driven by the CLF’s DiPOLE pump laser that is delivered to two experimental areas with upgrade paths for further additional beamlines. Laser areas are integrated on the second floor of a new, dedicated three-floor building, and the beam is transported around the facility’s radiation shielding to the ground floor experimental areas. The purpose-built facility has been designed following the principles from the hierarchy of controls—elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. In this paper, we discuss the fundamental approach to laser safety undertaken as part of the facility design, considering the entire laser system chain, beam transport, and delivery. The approach to minimizing risks and fundamental hazards through the facility design, installation, and commissioning phases is outlined. The EPAC interlock systems play multiple roles, providing safety functions for both laser and ionizing radiation, employing a multilayered approach to safety using a combination of trap key and multiple Electrical/Electronic/Programmable Electronic (E/E/PE) systems to provide the required safety integrity level.
Source: Journal of Laser Applications
DOI: 10.2351/7.0001775
Authors: Robert J. Clarke, Richard Bickerton, Thomas Butcher, Danielle Clarke, Nick Crook, Mike Graham, James Green, Mark Harman, Steve Hawkes, Robert Heathcote, Cristina Hernandez-Gomez, Rajeev Pattathil, David Pepler, Tiago Pinheiro De Faria Pinto, Gary Quinn, Kenny Rodgers, Tony Roper, Jodie Smith, Jacob Spear, Jorge Suarez Merchan, Nick Stuart, Dan Symes, Steph Tomlinson, Matthew Wilson, Brian Wyborn
Institutions: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Central Laser Facility
Language: English
Subfield: Ophthalmology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4416994125