Isotope effects in the harmonic response from hydrogenlike muonic atoms in strong laser fields

TL;DR

This paper investigates how isotope differences affect high-harmonic generation in hydrogenlike muonic atoms under intense laser fields, revealing signatures of nuclear mass and size in the harmonic spectra and potential gamma-ray pulse generation.

Contribution

It introduces a nonrelativistic model for muonic atoms in strong laser fields that captures isotope effects and predicts high-energy harmonic cutoffs influenced by nuclear properties.

Findings

Isotope differences produce distinct signatures in harmonic spectra.

Effective muon charge impacts harmonic cutoff positions.

High-energy cutoffs in the MeV range suggest gamma-ray pulse potential.

Abstract

High-harmonic generation from hydrogenlike muonic atoms exposed to ultraintense high-frequency laser fields is calculated. Systems of low nuclear charge number Z are considered where a nonrelativistic description applies. By comparing the radiative response for different isotopes we demonstrate characteristic signatures of the finite nuclear mass and size in the harmonic spectra. In particular, for Z>1, an effective muon charge appears in the Schr\"odinger equation for the relative particle motion, which influences the position of the harmonic cutoff. Cutoff energies in the MeV domain can be achieved, offering prospects for the generation of ultrashort coherent gamma-ray pulses.