The Pulsed Lasers Centre (CLPU), located in the Science Park of the University of Salamanca, is managed by a consortium co-funded by the General State Administration, the Regional Government of Castilla y León and the University of Salamanca.
The centre houses VEGA, a titanium-sapphire laser system with CPA (Chirped Pulse Amplification) technology capable of operating with a pulse duration of 30 femtoseconds and reaching a peak power of 1 petawatt. VEGA's architecture is the only one of its kind in the world, comprising three perfectly synchronised phases:
- VEGA1, 20 terawatts at 10 shots per second,
- VEGA2, 200 terawatts at 10 shots per second; and
- VEGA3, 1 petawatt at 1 shot per second (one of the ten most powerful lasers in the world).
The facility is also equipped with other CPA lasers with a higher repetition frequency and the only laser in Spain with a phase-stabilised duration of just 6 femtoseconds.
