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Free keywords:
Physics, Plasma Physics, physics.plasm-ph,Nuclear Theory, nucl-th
MPINP:
Research group A. Pálffy – Division C. H. Keitel
Abstract:
The process of nuclear excitation by electron capture in plasma environments
generated by the interaction of ultra-strong optical lasers with solid-state
samples is investigated theoretically. With the help of a plasma model we
perform a comprehensive study of the optimal parameters for most efficient
nuclear excitation and determine the corresponding laser setup requirements. We
discern between the low-density plasma regime, modeled by scaling laws, and the
high-density regime, for which we perform particle-in-cell calculations. As
nuclear transition case study we consider the 4.85 keV nuclear excitation
starting from the long-lived 93Mo isomer. Our results show that
the optimal plasma and laser parameters are sensitive to the chosen observable
and that measurable rates of nuclear excitation and isomer depletion of
93Mo should be already achievable at laser facilities existing
today.
