EMC Management in a High Power Pulse Laser

The LIL (Ligne d'Integration Laser) is the biggest European laser facility. The plant is a 150 times 80 meter building which includes 8 high power lasers and a target chamber for experiments. We need to stock 20 Mjoules in capacity banks and commute 250 kA to feed the laser beams. The 60 kJ of light power are concentrated on one target for physics experiments. This generates electromagnetic pulses with levels of up to 10 kV/m and frequencies up to 3 GHz. Many electromagnetic victims (such as laser beam diagnostic detectors) need to function under serious interference conditions. This paper gives an overview of the electromagnetic compatibility management of this project. One of the principal difficulties is the single shot aspect of the process. All electromagnetic victims must work under normal conditions during the experiment. A temporary dysfunction is not permitted in our case.