WELCOME TO CLPU
The Center for Ultrashort Ultraintense Pulsed Lasers (Centro de Láseres Pulsados Ultracortos Ultraintensos, CLPU) is the national facility specialized in femtosecond laser pulses with peaks powers at Gigawatt, Terawatt and Petawatt levels. The main equipment is the VEGA Laser, the spanish Petawatt laser (30J/50fs) and its auxiliary synchronised arms. The object of the facility is to serve both the scientific community and the industry by providing access to state-of-the art high power lasers, as well as advice, through collaborative research. Our facilities are open to national and international users. Possible applications of the lasers available at CLPU are (in order of increasing power):
- Micro and nanoprocessing of materials
- Femtochemistry
- Non-linear propagation
- Attosecond science
- X-ray lasers
- Particle acceleration (electrons and ions) to multi-MeV
- Plasma physics
- Photonuclear physics
- Radiopharmacy
- Proton therapy
- Vacuum polarization
CLPU is the coordinator of the Spanish network of ultraintense ultrashort pulses Consolider Ingenio 2010 SAUUL (Science and Application of Ultrashort Ultraintense Lasers), it is a member of Laserlab Europe and coordinates the Spanish participation in ELI (the European Extreme Light Infrastructure). CLPU is also part of LA3NET, an ITN Network that joins laser Centers and accelerator facilities such as CERN or GANIL to prepare a next generation of scientists and technicians specialized in the applications of lasers at accelerators facilities.
