Meeting #TeamVulcan at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

29th April 2016

FIRST VISIT TO RAL's VULCAN PETAWATT LASER SYSTEM

What is Vulcan?

Vulcan is a high power infrared laser system that can deliver up to one petawatt of power! That's the same as 100 trillion (10W) energy saving light bulbs! It's one of the most powerful lasers in the world - HOW COOL?! The Vulcan laser is situated in Didcot, Oxfordshire at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. You can find out more about RAL here and you can even visit RAL too, check this out! I went there as part of a school trip during my A Levels and it was one of the reasons why I chose to read Physics at university - they introduced me to the field of medical physics and I instantly fell in love with the subject. Hope you enjoy your visit as much as I did! :)

What's special about Vulcan?
Here's some cool science facts about Vulcan for the keen scientists out there:

- Laser system comprised of Nd:glass amplifiers

- Can deliver up to 1 PW (petawatt) of peak power for a short pulse !

- And up to 2.6 kJ of laser energy in long pulses 

- It's an Infrared (1053 nm) laser

- It's a chirped pulse amplification system

- To achieve ultra-high intensities the beam is focussed to near its diffraction limit! 

Check out this great video by Dr. Ceri Brenner, Application Development Scientist for High Power Lasers at STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council), which shows the Vulcan petawatt laser! Normally this area is out of bounds and only the laser scientists are allowed inside so this is some cool stuff! Click here to watch the video.


Why was I there?
I was there because I'm a keen bean that's caught the physics bug! Well, that is one reason but the top reason was because I wanted to visit Vulcan and see the experiment that was being carried out by the Plasma Physics Group from Imperial College. I've spent two summers working with the Plasma Group and so I've had time to get to know the them and the physics that they are doing.

Their recent experiment was an optical levitation experiment. Put simply, they levitate objects with lasers and then shoot it to see what happens! Objects can be levitated solely using light because light, yes light, has momentum and so exerts a force on the object which we call radiation pressure. IT'S THE COOLEST EXPERIMENT EVER! Just seeing the object 'floating' there is just unreal! #TeamVulcan levitate objects as small as the width of a human hair (!) with a (continuous wave) laser! Then they shoot it with another laser (in this case the MIGHTY Vulcan petawatt laser) and analyse the stuff that comes out of this interaction like radiation and protons. The targets can be glass spheres or liquid droplets. #Awesomeness

You can think of the experiment as if you're holding a torch with the light facing the ceiling and then you place a pea/bead in the light and then it starts floating just like magic (but just between you and me we know it's the magic of physics #OhYeah) ;) and then we shine another torch but this time from the side and this torch is really really bright and only stays on for a fraction of a second! That pulse of light is so intense that it totally obliterates the pea/bead! Lots of debris (radiation and protons) spew out of this interaction and then we catch them in our detectors/imaging instruments and from this we can find out more about the destruction and learn new physics! :O #Science

Whilst I was there I got to see some TOP SECRET data, a HUGE laboratory and scientists in action working on cutting edge science! It was such an inspiring experience and I'd love to work on laser related experiments in the future - I just think lasers are the coolest!

Here's my visit to RAL summarised in pictures:

Just arrived at the station

Didcot Parkway station with lovely blue skies

It's a beautiful daaa-aayy..

Beam profile of laser alignment beam

Lowering the pressure in the HUGE vacuum chamber inside Vulcan

#Danger

LASER ON

Make-shift EMP (electromagnetic pulse) protector for all the electronic devices

#Diagnostics outside the Vulcan experimental chamber

Laser compressor

Here's what my day was like in about 5 minutes - hope you enjoy the video (below)! Unfortunately I missed out on seeing a levitated target being shot by the MIGHTY Vulcan laser but keep reading and you'll see that I got to see one in the end. :)

23rd May 2016

2ND VISIT TO RAL's VULCAN PETAWATT LASER SYSTEM

I know what you're thinking - you went there again?! Yes, yes I did and that was because I was so disappointed that I missed out on seeing a droplet shot that I just had to go again and see one.

I guess for me this time it was second time lucky because I saw two droplet shots in one day!!! I couldn't have gone on a better day - it was their record number of droplet shots in one day across the whole 5-week experiment! I think I secretly brought them a pot of luck! ;)

Once again here's my day summarised in pictures:

Multi-coloured allen keys!

The view seen from hill at the Harwell Campus

The Harwell campus - Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Check out the energy and pulse duration of the laser shots we had that day

What a way to the end the experiment, with none other than a beautiful sunset seen from the hill setting on the Harwell campus #Bliss 

The Sun setting on the Harwell Campus #Bliss

The droplet died right there (just beneath the tube) #RIPDroplet

HUGE parabolic mirror!

#RIPDroplet

Parabolic mirror selfie #ScienceSelfie

Just below the tube is where the droplet was shot with the Vulcan laser!

Peeping through one of the windows of the Vulcan target chamber!

Mach Zehnder interferometer

This huge metal box acts like a Faraday cage to protect the oscilloscope from EMP (electromagnetic pulse)

Rear window looking into the vacuum chamber

Droplet-making-station

#ControlRoom

The target chamber is absolutely HUGE!

The door leading into the world of laser-plasma physics!

Minion-style doors

Inside the vacuum chamber

Neutral density filters

#PrettyOptic

Check out the following video to join me and my exciting day at RAL all in about 5 minutes! (coming soon)

I had the best time EVER at RAL and I hope you can enjoy it too! Definitely tell your teachers/parents about it and try and visit RAL if you can - it's an experience that I'll you'll remember for a long time! You can meet the scientists of RAL at the upcoming Oxfordshire Science Festival from the 23rd June to the 3rd of July - don't miss out and check out more details here.

Shout out to #TeamVulcan for showing me round and letting me see all their cool science! :) Thank you!