STFC/RAL, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, United Kingdom
Computerised controls are vital to the operability and flexibility of large-scale physics facilities (such as accelerators, synchrotrons and high-power lasers) in providing fundamental services, for example, automatic configuring of specialist hardware, motion control, firing of shot sequences, enabling precision trigger distribution, vacuum monitoring and control, data acquisition and analysis. The proposed 10PW Laser facility, in line with other major physics facilities around the world, will require a complex computer control system. This is expected to be modeled on the existing Vulcan Laser[1] control system and consist of a dozen or so Windows based PCs each of which will be running a separate and dedicated application to control a particular area or function of the facility. This paper will present an overview of the existing Vulcan laser and provide a status report on the development towards the 10PW which will require the control system to be designed to allow autonomous operation of the 10PW facility as well as to be fully integrated with the existing Vulcan laser controls for combined and synchronized 10PW plus 1PW operations.
[1] www.clf.stfc.ac.uk/Facilities/Vulcan/12248.aspx
