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Astrophysicists will soon be able to deploy a range of lab experiments to test the predictions of some of their theories.

Getting a grip: the Vulcan laser will help astrophysicists to test their theories. Credit: S. KILL/RAL

The upgraded Vulcan laser, which was inaugurated this month at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford, will offer researchers the most intense laser pulses in the world. When trained on a target, these pulses will create temperatures and pressures comparable to those found inside stars.

“Vulcan will provide us with the experimental data to check the theoretical calculations that have come from observations,” says Steven Rose, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford.

Vulcan's upgrade will see it emit near-infrared pulses containing a relatively modest 500 joules of energy. But their ultrashort life — the pulses last just 500 femtoseconds (5 × 10−15 seconds) — means that they offer a peak power of one petawatt (1015 watts). This exceeds the power produced by typical high-energy machines such as the OMEGA laser at the University of Rochester, New York, which emits longer pulses containing 40,000 joules.

“The increased intensity of Vulcan will drive research into new territories,” says Chris Edwards, manager of the Vulcan upgrade. “It is sure to produce new surprises.” Initial tests at the facility are scheduled to begin next month, and it should open to users in November.

Vulcan's beam will be focused onto a spot just 10 micrometres across, producing what its operators say will be one of the most intense laser beams ever generated in a laboratory. It will be used for a range of experiments — Rose, for example, plans to use it to study iron, a constituent of the Sun that plays an important role in conducting energy outwards from the fusion reactions at the star's core. It will also be involved in research into a 'fast ignition' approach to nuclear fusion energy, which uses the intense pulse to initiate fusion reactions.

Vulcan will be used primarily by British and European researchers, but access has also been arranged for scientists in the United States. Similar high-intensity lasers are under development in Japan and Germany, and researchers are seeking funding for a facility in France.