High Power Laser Science and Engineering, (2021), Vol. 9, e18, 86 pages. doi:10.1017/hpl.2021.5 REVIEW A history of high-power laser research and development in the United Kingdom Colin N. Danson1,2,3, Malcolm White4,5,6, John R. M. Barr7, Thomas Bett8, Peter Blyth9,10,11,12, David Bowley13, Ceri Brenner14, Robert J. Collins15, Neal Croxford16, A. E. Bucker Dangor17, Laurence Devereux18, Peter E. Dyer19, Anthony Dymoke-Bradshaw20, Christopher B. Edwards1,14, Paul Ewart21, Allister I. Ferguson22, John M. Girkin23, Denis R. Hall24, David C. Hanna25, Wayne Harris26, David I. Hillier1, Christopher J. Hooker14, Simon M. Hooker21, Nicholas Hopps1,17, Janet Hull27, David Hunt8, Dino A. Jaroszynski28, Mark Kempenaars29, Helmut Kessler30, Sir Peter L. Knight17, Steve Knight31, Adrian Knowles32, Ciaran L. S. Lewis33, Ken S. Lipton34, Abby Littlechild35, John Littlechild35, Peter Maggs36, Graeme P. A. Malcolm OBE37, Stuart P. D. Mangles17, William Martin38, Paul McKenna28, Richard O. Moore1, Clive Morrison39, Zulfikar Najmudin17, David Neely14,28, Geoff H. C. New17, Michael J. Norman8, Ted Paine31, Anthony W. Parker14, Rory R. Penman1, Geoff J. Pert40, Chris Pietraszewski41, Andrew Randewich1, Nadeem H. Rizvi42, Nigel Seddon MBE43, Zheng-Ming Sheng28,44, David Slater45, Roland A. Smith17, Christopher Spindloe14, Roy Taylor17, Gary Thomas46, John W. G. Tisch17, Justin S. Wark2,21, Colin Webb21, S. Mark Wiggins28, Dave Willford47, and Trevor Winstone14 1AWE Aldermaston, Reading, UK 2Oxford Centre for High Energy Density Science, Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK 3Centre for Intertial Fusion Studies, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, UK 4Formerly of Electrox, Letchworth, UK 5Formerly of Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Laboratory, Didcot, UK 6Formerly of Ferranti Defence Systems, Lincoln, UK 7Leonardo, Edinburgh, UK 8Retired, AWE, Reading, UK 9Formerly of AWE, Reading, UK 10Formerly of Laser Lines Ltd, Banbury, UK 11Formerly of Optilas Ltd, Milton Keynes, UK 12Retired, Pro-Lite Technology, Cranfield, UK 13Specialised Imaging Ltd, Pitstone, UK 14Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK 15Magna-Power Electronics Ltd, Reading, UK 16DeBe Lasers, Needham Laser Technologies, Whitchurch, UK 17Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, UK 18SPIE Europe, Cardiff, UK 19Professor Emeritus (Physics), University of Hull, Kingston upon Hull, UK 20Kentech Instruments Ltd, Wallingford, UK 21Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK 22Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK 23Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham, UK © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with Chinese Laser Press. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 1 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. 30 Sep 2021 at 23:13:53, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use. 2 Colin Danson et al. 24Professor Emeritus (Photonics), Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK 25Professor Emeritus, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK 26Optical Surfaces Ltd, Kenley, UK 27JEH Lasers Ltd, Rugby, UK 28Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK 29ITER Organization, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France 30Manx Precision Optics Ltd, Ballasalla, UK 31Laser Lines Ltd, Banbury, UK 32Elliot Scientific Ltd, MetroTest Scientific Group, Harpenden, UK 33Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK 34Retired, Founder, and former MD, Rofin-Sinar UK Ltd, Hull, UK 35Heraeus Noblelight Ltd, Cambridge, UK 36Mirli Books, Chelmsford, UK 37M Squared Lasers Ltd, Glasgow, UK 38University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK 39E&EO UK Ltd, Barton-upon-Humber, UK 40Department of Physics, University of York, York, UK 41IC Optical Systems Ltd, Beckenham, UK 42Laser Micromachining Ltd, St Asaph, UK 43MBDA UK Ltd, Bristol, UK 44Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China 45Photek Ltd, St Leonards-on-Sea, UK 46Island Optics Ltd, Ballasalla, UK 47Retired, Lincoln, UK (Received 4 December 2020; revised 15 January 2021; accepted 26 January 2021) Abstract The first demonstration of laser action in ruby was made in 1960 by T. H. Maiman of Hughes Research Laboratories, USA. Many laboratories worldwide began the search for lasers using different materials, operating at different wavelengths. In the UK, academia, industry and the central laboratories took up the challenge from the earliest days to develop these systems for a broad range of applications. This historical review looks at the contribution the UK has made to the advancement of the technology, the development of systems and components and their exploitation over the last 60 years. Keywords: high-power lasers; history; United Kingdom Contents 2.8 Heriot-Watt University 20 2.9 University of Strathclyde 20 1 Introduction 3 2.10 Swansea University 25 2 Academia 4 2.11 University of Essex 26 2.1 University of Oxford 4 2.12 University of Reading 27 2.2 Imperial College London 8 2.13 X-Ray Laser Consortium 27 2.3 QUB 12 3 UK national laboratories 29 2.4 University of Southampton 14 3.1 Introduction 29 2.5 University of Hull 16 3.2 CLF 29 2.6 University of Manchester 18 3.2.1 Early years: the setting up of the 2.7 University of St Andrews 19 CLF 29 3.2.2 The laser programmes 30 Correspondence to: R. Penman, AWE Aldermaston, Reading, Berk- 3.2.3 CLF support facilities 35 shire RG7 4PR, UK. Email: [email protected] 3.2.4 Other CLF programmes 36 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. 30 Sep 2021 at 23:13:53, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use. History of high-power laser research and development in the UK 3 3.2.5 CLF spin-out companies 37 took up the challenge to develop laser systems leading to 3.2.6 Summary of activities at the CLF 38 them being used in a broad range of applications. 3.3 AWRE/AWE Aldermaston 38 This review covers the history of the UK contribution to 3.3.1 The early years 38 the development of high-power lasers and is presented in 3.3.2 Early 1970s: AWRE’s three-pronged five sections. In the four following sections we present the approach 39 work in the UK academic community; the role of the national 3.3.3 The HELEN laser facility 41 laboratories (Central Laser Facility at Rutherford Appleton 3.3.4 The Orion laser facility 42 Laboratory; AWE, Aldermaston, and UKAEA Culham); UK 3.3.5 Target fabrication 44 industry; and the defence sector. What is not covered are 3.3.6 Summary of activities at AWE 44 applications associated with industrial material processing, 3.4 UKAEA Culham 45 welding and cutting for instance, and the vast field of medical applications, although reference is made to these sectors 3.5 Conclusion on national laboratories 46 where appropriate developments were achieved. 4 UK industry 46 Academia are driven by research interest and from the 4.1 UK industrial regional centres 47 earliest days the UK community realized the potential of 4.1.1 Isle of Man 47 lasers. Several key individuals have established world lead- 4.1.2 Rugby, Warwickshire 47 ing reputations in laser development and their applications. 4.1.3 St Asaph, Wales 50 Contributions are detailed from the leading university groups 4.2 UK laser system suppliers 50 across the UK including those at Oxford, Imperial College 4.3 Laser component suppliers 53 London, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), Southampton 4.4 Micromachining companies 57 and Hull. It is also of note that the academic community have 4.5 Pulse power suppliers 59 also exploited their successful research activities through 4.6 High-voltage pulsers 60 spin-out companies from groups in many of the universities 4.7 Laser system/component distributors 61 discussed. 4.8 Conclusion on UK industry 63 The Central Laser Facility (CLF) was established at the 5 UK defence sector 63 Rutherford Laboratory (later to be renamed Rutherford 5.1 Introduction 63 Appleton Laboratory (RAL)) in 1976 to provide a national 5.2 UK defence companies 64 facility for conducting research by the UK academic 5.3 UK government defence establishments 69 community. Its first user facility, later to be called VULCAN, 5.4 Conclusion on defence 74 became operational in the following year. VULCAN 6 Conclusion 74 is a multi-beam high-power Nd:glass laser and is still 7 List of abbreviations 74 operational today although upgraded extensively such that References 77 it is unrecognizable from its original form. Over the years the CLF has developed and operated a range of lasers to cover, not only the high-energy density physics (HEDP) community, but photochemistry, photobiology, materials 1. Introduction studies and micromachining. It provides its facilities for both the national and international communities and has The start of the laser story goes back over a hundred established itself as a world leader in many aspects of its years when in 1917 Albert Einstein suggested the concept development and operations. of stimulated emission. Prior to optical lasers there were At AWE (formally AWRE, the Atomic Weapons Research operational masers, the equivalent to lasers working in Establishment) the potential of lasers was seen at a very early the microwave region of the spectrum, for which Charles stage with a High Power Laser Group set up in 1962. The use Townes, Aleksandr Prokhorov, and Nikolay Basov were of lasers for stockpile stewardship was realized in the early awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics[1]. Arthur 1970s and construction began on the first large-scale laser Schawlow and Charles Townes, Bell Labs/Columbia facility at AWE, HELEN (High Energy Laser Embodying University, are generally credited with ‘inventing’ the Neodymium), in 1976.