1. Laboratorio FLAME, stato del commissioning e self-injection test experiment
Leonida A. GIZZI
Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, CNR, Pisa, Italy
& INFN, Pisa/LNF, Italy
On behalf of the FLAME Commissioning Team

2. The FLAME laboratory - History
27th March 2007 –
beginning of construction
23rd June 2008 –
Building completed

3. The FLAME laboratory – recent past
12th March 2009 –
delivery of laser
18th May 2009 –
start of Installation of clean room
10th June 2009 –
“Cold” laser installation

4. The FLAME laboratory - update

5. The FLAME laboratory – general layout
AUXILIARY
CONTROL ROOM

6. CLEAN ROOM

7. CLEAN ROOM specs on thermal stability achieved

8. CLEAN ROOM specs on thermal stability achieved with thermal load (pump lasers on)
Required specs ± 1 deg

9. FLAME LASER

11. FLAME laser: specifications
Repetition Rate 10 Hz
Energy (after compression) up to 6 J (typ. exp. 5.6J)
Wavelength nm
Pulse duration down to 20 fs (typ.23 fs)
Peak power up to 300 TW
ASE contrast < 1010
Pre-pulse contrast < 10-8
SUMMARY

12. Recall on contrast Large ASE means precursor plasma with shock wave
Detrimental for acceleration:
see A. Giulietti, P. Tomassini, M. Galimberti, D. Giulietti, L.A. Gizzi, P. Köster, L. Labate, T. Ceccotti, P. D'Oliveira, T. Auguste, P. Monot, Ph. Martin, Phys. Plasmas, 13, (2006).

13. CONTROL OF (SMALL) ASE: NO PRE-PLASMA AND NO SHOCK WAVE data from Pisa “pilot” esperiment
Laser
200µm

14. FS PULSE DRIVES IONISATION: CLEANER ACCELERATION CONDITIONS
CONTROL OF (SMALL) ASE: NO PRE-PLASMA AND NO SHOCK WAVE data from Pisa “pilot” esperiment
FS PULSE DRIVES IONISATION: CLEANER ACCELERATION CONDITIONS
Laser
200µm
L. A. Gizzi et al., Laser-plasma acceleration: first experimental results from the PLASMONX projecT (invited talk) CHANNELING08 - Charged and Nuclear Particles Channeling Phenomena, 25 October - 1 November 2008, Erice, Trapani, Italy.
L.A. Gizzi, M. Galimberti, A. Giulietti, D. Giulietti, P. Köster, L. Labate, P. Tomassini, Ph. Martin, T. Ceccotti, P. D'Oliveira, P. Monot, Phys. Rev. E, 74, (2006).

15. ASE Contrast: acceptance Test (Dec ’08)
Time Delay (ps)
Contrast Ratio -1
2.10-4 -5
5.10-8
-10
1.10-8
-150
1.10-9
-450
Full energy

16. Ps contrast: acceptance Test (Dec ’08)
Time Delay (ps)
Contrast Ratio -1
2.10-4 -5
1.10-5
-10
1.10-6
-150
1.10-9
-450

17. New contrast measurements at LNF
Best pulse duration (<25 fs)
(with Mazzler loop)
“Natural” pulse duration (<50 fs)
Contrast well within specs;
ASE contrast at natural pulse duration compares with plasma mirror!

18. POWER AMPLIFIER - spectrum
7J spectrum
With mazzler
Without mazzler

19. THE COMPRESSOR: spectral control
Periscope
Big Grating
Corner cube
Little Grating
Output
Input
PH53
PH51
PH52
Efficiency of the vacuum compressor >70%
Pulse duration with the test compressor
Spider measurements
natural duration < 55 fs
corrected duration < 25 fs

20. Compressor
FLAME Laser Overview
Front end
Power amplifiers

21. AMPLIFIER #3 – THE POWER AMPLIFIER
To the vacuum room
From Amplifier #2 D2
Cryo cooling

22. AMPLIFIER #3 – THE POWER AMPLIFIER

23. POWER AMPLIFIER – output energy

24. SUMMARY OF FLAME LASER Summary of performances before shipping
Energy before 7 J
Vacuum compressor transmission > 70%
Pulse < 25 fs
ASE Contrast ratio (better) than 2x109
RMS Pulse 0.8 %
Enhancement of pumping configuration/extraction efficiency;
Full vacuum compression test to be performed at LNF;

25. Self-Injection test experiment (SITE)

26. Self-injection Test Experiment (di C. BENEDETTI ET AL.,)

27. Numerical simulations (di C. BENEDETTI ET AL.,)

28. Conceptual experimental set up
NaI+PM
THOMSON 90°‏
Side view
Spectrometer
(LANEX out)
Scattering/image
Top View
Spectrometer
Gas jet
Scintillator screen (LANEX)‏
Main Laser Beam
Nozzle
Fast Valve
MeV electron
bunch
NaI+PM
PROBE BEAM
(400 nm, <25fs, <50 mJ)‏
Nozzle slit
Delay line
Off-axis
parabolic mirror
MAIN BEAM with F/10 off-axis parabola
Wavelength: 800 nm
Pulse duration and energy: <25 fs
Focal Spot diameter (FWHM): 13.5 µm
Depth of focus: < 250 µm
Max Intensity(per Joule of energy): 5x1019 W/cm2

29. FLAME target area (for SITE)

30. FLAME Target Area Compressor vacuum chamber Interaction vacuum chamber
Probe pulse (2TW)
compressor
Main beam (>250 TW)
Vacuum transport line

31. FLAME Target Area Radiation protection walls Main beam (>250 TW)
Vacuum transport line
Beam transport to sparc bunker
Interaction
vacuum chamber
Compressor
vacuum chamber

32. Electron spectrometer
FLAME Target Area
Main beam (>250 TW)
Vacuum transport line
Radiation protection walls
Beam transport to sparc bunker
Electron spectrometer
Main target
chamber
Compressor
vacuum chamber
Off-axis parabola
Off-axis parabola

33. FLAME Target Area Main beam (>250 TW) Vacuum transport line
Radiation protection walls
Interaction point
Main turning mirror
Off-axis
parabola
Interaction
vacuum chamber
Electron
spectrometer

34. FLAME Target Area (SITE)

35. TDR SITE
L. A. Gizzi, F. Anelli, C. Benedetti, C. A. Cecchetti, A. Clozza, G. Di Pirro, N. Drenska, R. Faccini, D. Giulietti(, D. Filippetto, S. Fioravanti, A. Gamucci, L. Labate, T. Levato, V. Lollo, P. Londrillo, E. Pace, G. Turchetti, C. Vaccarezza, P. Valente and C. Vicario, Laser-plasma acceleration with self-injection: A test experiment for the sub-PW FLAME laser system at LNF-Frascati, Il Nuovo Cimento C, 32, 433 (2009).
R. Faccini et al., NIM A, 2009 (in press);

36. Conclusions
Installation of main subsystems completed: Clean room, Laser, Cooling, Conditioning;
Beam transport line to interaction chamber (SITE) completed
Beam transport line to SPARC bunker designed and under construction (TS);
Set up of self injection test experiment completed;

37. Agenda for next 6-8 months
Full power FLAME test: transport, compression, OAP focusing (no target);
Laser performance test at output: far field, contrast, width, phase distortion, measurements … prepare for adaptive optics;
Completion and and test of HW and SW control and diagnostics;
Completion of hardware and registration for radioprotection, safety and control of operations;
Laser on (gas-jet) target at >50 TW level.

38. FLAME team

40. FLAME TEAM

41. THE END

42. Original Schedule (PLASMONX, CDR, 2005)

43. Planning 1st half 2010

44. Recent Publications