The 10PW pump laser and the Vulcan system will require rectangular, glue-clad laser slabs for use in the 208 amplifiers in the future, as elliptical, monolithically-clad discs are no longer available. A set of three discs have been obtained from material supplied by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and assembled.
Small signal gain tests have proven that the expected gain will be identical to that of the elliptical amplifiers, at 2.15. This is an important result for the 10PW Project, ensuring the design for the 10PW Pump Laser can be taken forward and also that Vulcan has a route to new amplifier gain material for 208 amplifiers.
