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Photonuclear fission from high energy electrons from ultraintense laser-solid interactions
1University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|October 4, 2000
Summary
Researchers explored relativistic laser-matter interactions using a petawatt laser. High-energy electrons and nuclear reactions, including uranium fission, were observed in solid targets at high intensities.
Area of Science:
- Plasma Physics
- Laser-Matter Interactions
- Nuclear Physics
Background:
- Investigating a new regime of laser-matter interactions with fully relativistic plasma electron quiver motion.
- Exploring electron energies exceeding thresholds for nuclear processes.
- Utilizing petawatt laser systems for high-intensity experiments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To study laser-matter interactions in a new relativistic regime.
- To quantitatively compare high-energy electron generation and bremsstrahlung spectra.
- To measure photonuclear reaction yields, including uranium-238 fission.
Main Methods:
- Experiments conducted using a petawatt laser system.
- Solid targets irradiated at focused intensities exceeding 10^20 W/cm^2.
- Measurement of high-energy electrons and bremsstrahlung spectra via photonuclear reaction yields.
Main Results:
- Observed high-energy electron generation.
- Detected hard bremsstrahlung radiation.
- Observed nuclear phenomena, including the photoinduced fission of uranium-238.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated a new regime of relativistic laser-matter interactions.
- Established a quantitative link between electron energies, bremsstrahlung, and nuclear reactions.
- Confirmed the occurrence of uranium fission under these extreme conditions.