The ESG serves to support users plan, perform and analyse results from experiments performed at the Vulcan laser facility. In routine operations we offer end–to–end support in areas including experimental design, diagnostics, shot execution and data analysis – so users can obtain high quality, publishable results using the facility.
Vulcan is currently undergoing a major upgrade, and our team is directing a substantial share of effort towards design and integration tasks that will underpin the upgraded facility. At the same time, we continue to support the community by helping users run experiments at partner laboratories through the Vulcan Dark Period programme.
Our expertise spans a wide range of topics in high energy density and plasma physics, including:
- laser ion acceleration
- inertial confinement fusion
- laser plasma instabilities
- laboratory astrophysics
- warm dense matter and equation of state
- advanced plasma diagnostics
We draw on this breadth of experience to advise on experimental configurations, develop diagnostics and analysis workflows, and translate lessons learned into the design for Vulcan 20-20.
What Vulcan 20-20 will provide
Following the Vulcan 20-20 upgrade, the target areas will provide ultra-high-intensity short-pulse capability at 20PW with pulse durations in the tens of femtoseconds and hundreds of joules of energy.
A complementary VOPPEL beamline will deliver 1PW, also in the tens of femtoseconds with tens of joules.
The facility will also offer six long, high-energy beams with a total energy at the multi-kJ level, pulse shaping, and bandwidth-capable operation.
Vulcan Target Area 1 (VTA1) will feature a short focus of approximately F/3 for ultra-high-intensity interactions and will accommodate planar and bi-planar drive configurations for the long pulses.
VTA2 will enable access to alternative focussing geometries, including a larger F-number focusing geometry. VTA2 will also include a split beam configuration aiming at delivering two 8PW beams.
An advanced diagnostics suite will be provided, including:
- laser probing
- laser scattering
- X-ray imaging and spectroscopy
- fast-particle diagnosis for electrons and ions
These diagnostics will support characterisation of the interaction conditions and outputs across the range of envisaged experiments.
Matthew Oliver
Senior Plasma Physics Scientist
Nicola Booth
Deputy Project Manager and Senior Facility Scientist
David Carroll
ESG: Link Scientist and Vulcan 20-20 experimental diagnostics work package manager
David is the Vulcan 20-20 work package manager for plasma diagnostics and data management.
Kevin Glize
Head of ESG: Senior Plasma Physics Scientist and Vulcan 20-20 Target Area 1 Work Package Manager
Kevin obtained his PhD in 2015 in laser plasma-instabilities (LPI) developing in Inertial Confinement Fusion experiments from École Polytechnique and CEA
Chris Armstrong
Principal Detector Scientist
Chris joined the CLF as staff in 2018, focusing on X-ray detectors and diagnostics for EPAC.
Hamad Ahmed
Senior Plasma Physics Scientist
Hamad’s journey with the CLF began during his PhD at Queen’s University Belfast, where he conducted most of his experimental work in the target areas of Vulcan and Gemini.
Margaret Notley
ESG
Margaret joined the Central Laser Facility in 1997 after achieving a BSc in Physics from Imperial College, University of London.
Philip Bradford
Detector Scientist
Philip develops diagnostics for both the Vulcan 20-20 and EPAC facilities.
Jack Halliday
Experimental scientist
Jack is a hands-on experimental physicist specialising in laboratory astrophysics and plasma diagnostic development, principally X-ray spectroscopy and optical Thomson scattering.
Hanna Nasir
Laser Plasma Industrial Placement
28 Nov 2025
Vulcan 20-20 Groundbreaking Ceremony
16 Nov 2025
