Nuclear excitation by electron capture in optical-laser-generated plasmas

TL;DR

This paper theoretically investigates nuclear excitation via electron capture in laser-generated plasmas, identifying optimal conditions and demonstrating feasibility with current laser technology for exciting $^{93m}$Mo nuclei.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive theoretical analysis of nuclear excitation by electron capture in optical-laser-generated plasmas, including plasma modeling, parameter optimization, and feasibility assessment.

Findings

Optimal plasma and laser parameters depend on the observable.

Measurable nuclear excitation rates are achievable with current laser facilities.

High-density plasma regimes require particle-in-cell calculations.

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 $^{93\mathrm{m}}$Mo 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 $^{93\mathrm{m}}$Mo should be already achievable at laser facilities existing today.