One of the core objectives of EPAC is the development of laser-plasma acceleration techniques. The laser is capable of accelerating electrons to GeV energies in centimetres allowing generation of bright x-rays between a few keV up to several tens of MeV allowing imaging of a wide range of sample sizes and absorptions customised to the need at hand.

EPAC will be capable of generating a range of particle beams, dependent on the set up of the interaction target, including protons, neutrons, ions and electrons as well as x-rays and gamma rays. Electronics intended for radiologically harsh environments, such as space, can be exposed to these beams to both test their radiation resistance and to examine the malfunctions induced by radiation.

EPAC will be capable of producing both neutron and proton beams with high energies. This is sufficient to cause radiation damage to materials. This will allow EPAC to expose samples to radiation and to test samples to further understand how radiation interacts with matter assisting development of reactor materials and modelling approaches.

EPAC will produce neutron pulses of extremely short durations (tens of picoseconds). This will enable it to apply Neutron Activation analysis techniques to measure gamma rays emitted rapidly after exposure enhancing detection of short-lived isotopes.

EPAC will be capable of producing proton beams by focussing the laser onto a solid target. The protons accelerated by this process reach sufficiently high energies for PIGE/PIXE.

EPAC is capable of producing electron beams up to GeV energies lasting picoseconds. This extremely short pulse will enable study of faster chemical processes than is possible using conventional technology. This will further understanding of fast chemical processes.

EPAC will produce pulsed proton beams when the laser is focussed onto solid-density targets. The energies reached can be high and are expected to reach tens of MeV. Laser-driven proton beams can be used to further the understanding of the effects of proton beam radiation on tissues, particularly at high dose rates. In the longer term, laser-driven proton beams are being considered for clinical application.

EPAC can produce multiple species of particle and photon (e.g., protons and x-rays) simultaneously. This will enable EPAC to perform multiple functions either simultaneously with single shots, or consecutively. In the future, EPAC will have additional beamlines generating multiple beams which can be focussed onto the same sample.

​Lasers (including EPAC) are expected to be capable of performing neutron resonance spectroscopy in the next decade. Laser driven sources are a potential next-generation technique for NRS techniques as they are capable of producing extremely short pulses reducing the flight path length required for time of flight analysis.

​EPAC will be capable of performing x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) techniques including X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). EPAC is capable of producing x-rays across a wide energy range allowing techniques using both hard and soft x-rays on the same beamline with straightforward changes in the interaction configuration.​

​EPAC has the potential to develop techniques for the production of radioisotopes, notably for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans. EPAC will have one of the highest repetition rates of any petawatt laser globally, so it has potential for development as a source of artificial radioisotopes.