The Astra Gemini project - : A dual-beam petawatt Ti:Sapphire laser system

The current Astra laser facility is capable of Terawatt operation at 10 Hz into one experimental area, and simultaneous 12 TW operation at 1 Hz into a second area. Both of these operational modes deliver a single beam with a pulse duration of 40 fs and a few times diffraction-limited quality. The Astra Gemini project will extend the capabilities of Astra to Petawatt level by providing two 0.5 PW beams in a completely new radiation-shielded interaction area. The new facility will be able to deliver two beams of 15 J in 30 fs at a rate of one shot per minute, and will support a wide range of experimental configurations, opening up many new possibilities for high-intensity laser-matter interaction studies.