Heidelberg 1999 – scientific programme

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SYLF: Symposium Wechselwirkung in starken Laserfeldern

SYLF V: HV V

SYLF V.1: Invited Talk

Monday, March 15, 1999, 12:30–13:00, zo1

Laser induced nuclear reactions — •Peter A Norreys — Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0QX, U.K.

A review will be presented of recent nuclear physics measurements performed with the ultra-short, ultra-intense beam line of the Nd glass laser VULCAN. At intensities of 10¹⁹ Wcm⁻², the ponderomotive potential approaches 1 MeV, and the electric field in the laser focus is nearly twenty times larger than the electric field binding the ground state electron to the proton in the hydrogen atom. Under such conditions, nuclear reactions provide an essential element to diagnosing the behaviour of both electrons and ions in the plasma. Recent experiments have revealed: a highly directional gamma-ray beam directed nearly opposite to the target normal (using photo-neutron reactions in copper); proton-neutron reactions from copper resulting from the blow-off plasma; neutron production in deuterated plastic and pure deuterium targets. Experiments in progress will explore the simulataneous activation of an array of materials to determine the high energy tail of the electron spectrum. The activation of actinides may also be explored in this presentation.