Status and recent progress of the “XingGuang” ultrashort and ultra-intense laser experimental platform

Wu Yuchi; Han Zhilong; Li Gang; Zhao Zongqing; Zhou Weimin

doi:10.11884/HPLPB202638.250390

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Wu Yuchi, Han Zhilong, Li Gang, et al. Status and recent progress of the “XingGuang” ultrashort and ultra-intense laser experimental platform[J]. High Power Laser and Particle Beams. doi: 10.11884/HPLPB202638.250390

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Wu Yuchi, Han Zhilong, Li Gang, et al. Status and recent progress of the “XingGuang” ultrashort and ultra-intense laser experimental platform[J]. High Power Laser and Particle Beams. doi: 10.11884/HPLPB202638.250390

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Status and recent progress of the “XingGuang” ultrashort and ultra-intense laser experimental platform

doi: 10.11884/HPLPB202638.250390

National Key Laboratory of Plasma Physics, Laser Fusion Research Center, CAEP, Mianyang 621900, China

Received Date: 2025-11-01
Accepted Date: 2025-12-16
Rev Recd Date: 2025-01-08

Available Online: 2026-01-28

Abstract

Abstract

This review summarizes the evolution and present capabilities of the “XingGuang” ultrashort and ultra-intense laser platform at the National Key Laboratory of Plasma Physics (CAEP), which integrates the XingGuang-III (XG-III) multi-pulse facility and the all-OPCPA SILEX-II multi-petawatt system. Targeting inertial confinement fusion (ICF), high-energy-density physics (HEDP), and matter under extreme conditions, the platform enables both extreme-state creation and time-resolved pump–probe measurements. We outline the system architecture, key enabling technologies, and experimental capabilities. XG-III adopts a common-seed, split-and-amplify design that delivers femtosecond/picosecond/nanosecond beams with sub-picosecond timing jitter (<1.32 ps); typical operating points reach～20 J/26.8 fs,～370 J/(0.48–10 ps) and～575 J/1 ns, with on-target focal spots below 10 μm (fs) and 20 μm (ps). SILEX-II employs a full optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) chain to achieve～5 PW peak power after compression to～18.6 fs while retaining >90 J, combining >10^10 temporal contrast (tens of ps before the main pulse) with near-diffraction-limited focusing (～3.3×4.0 μm FWHM) enabled by adaptive optics and achromatic compensation, reaching intensities above 10²⁰ W/cm². In addition, we present representative multi-beam, coordinated experiments enabled by the platform, including three-dimensional proton imaging of temperature-gradient-driven Weibel magnetic fields and energy-loss measurements of intense ion beams in warm dense plasmas, highlighting its strong potential for frontier research.
- lasers,
- ultrashort and ultra-intense laser,
- XingGuang-III,
- SILEX-II,
- optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

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References(55)

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