Related papers: Tailoring laser-generated plasmas for efficient nu…
We revisit the matching conditions for self-guided laser pulse propagation in plasma and refine their formulation to maximize the energy of electrons produced via laser wakefield acceleration. Bayesian optimization, combined with…
We investigate the resonant process of nuclear excitation by electron capture, in which a continuum electron is captured into a bound state of an ion with the simultaneous excitation of the nucleus. In order to derive the cross section a…
We report the highest compression reached in laboratory plasmas using eight laser beams, E$_{laser}$$\approx$12 kJ, $\tau_{laser}$=2 ns in third harmonic on a CD$_2$ target at the ShenGuang-II Upgrade (SGII-Up) facility in Shanghai, China.…
The field of laser-matter interaction traditionally deals with the response of atoms, molecules and plasmas to an external light wave. However, the recent sustained technological progress is opening up the possibility of employing intense…
The excitation of the $^{181\text{m}}$Ta isomer in the laser-plasma scenario was claimed to have been observed more than two decades ago. However, the reported experimental findings - and the respective high excitation rate - were later…
Laser plasma interaction with micro-engineered targets at relativistic intensities has been greatly promoted by recent progress in the high contrast lasers and the manufacture of advanced micro- and nano-structures. This opens new…
Recently much attention has being attracted to the problem of limitations on the attainable intensity of high power lasers [A.M. Fedotov {\it et al.} Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{105}, 080402 (2010)]. The laser energy can be absorbed by…
A recent nuclear physics experiment [C. J. Chiara {\it et al.}, Nature (London) {\bf 554}, 216 (2018)] reports the first direct observation of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) in the depletion of the $^{93m}$Mo isomer. The…
Laser accelerated protons can be a complimentary source for treatment of oncological diseases to the existing hadron therapy facilities. We demonstrate how the protons, accelerated from near-critical density plasmas by laser pulses having…
A comprehensive theoretical study of direct laser excitation of a nuclear state based on the density matrix formalism is presented. The nuclear clock isomer $^{229\text{m}}$Th is discussed in detail, as it could allow for direct laser…
We propose a new approach to high-intensity relativistic laser-driven electron acceleration in a plasma. Here, we demonstrate that a plasma wave generated by a stimulated forward-scattering of an incident laser pulse can be in the longest…
Utilizing laser plasma wakefield to accelerate ultra-high charge electron beam is critical for many pioneering applications, for example to efficiently produce nuclear isomers with short lifetimes which may be widely used. However, because…
Ultra-short high-power lasers can deliver extreme light intensities ($\ge 10^{20}$ W/cm$^2$ and $\leq 30 f$s) and drive large amplitude Surface Plasma Wave (SPW) at over-dense plasma surface. The resulting current of energetic electron has…
The multi-photon excitation to the $8$-eV nuclear isomeric state $^{229\text{m}}$Th in the direct laser-nucleus interaction is investigated theoretically. We solve the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation with the method which allows us to…
Electrons at the surface of a plasma that is irradiated by a laser with intensity in excess of $10^{23}~\mathrm{W}\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$ are accelerated so strongly that they emit bursts of synchrotron radiation. Although the combination of high…
An alternative method to determine the excitation energy of the $~^{229\rm{m}}\rm{Th}$ isomer via the laser-induced electronic bridge is investigated theoretically. In the presence of an optical or ultra-violet laser at energies that…
A general quantum mechanical theory is developed for the isomeric excitation of $^{229}$Th in strong femtosecond laser pulses. The theory describes the tripartite interaction between the nucleus, the atomic electrons, and the laser field.…
The existing intense laser-based approaches for nuclear excitation offer ultrafast temporal resolution and high efficiency compared to traditional accelerator probes. However, controlling nuclear properties such as spin and magnetic moment…
The advent of high-intensity pulsed laser technology enables the generation of extreme states of matter under conditions that are far from thermal equilibrium. This in turn could enable different approaches to generating energy from nuclear…
Laser-plasma accelerators offer a compact means of producing high-energy electron beams, but their performance is fundamentally limited by dephasing between the accelerated electrons and the plasma wave. To overcome this limitation, we…