Nonlinear optical effects in a nucleus

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential for nonlinear optical effects in nuclei, specifically analyzing two-photon and three-photon absorption processes in the deuteron, and predicts observable phenomena with intense laser interactions.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of nuclear nonlinear optics and provides quantitative predictions for multi-photon absorption effects in the deuteron.

Findings

Predicted observable effects of multi-photon absorption in nuclei.

Quantitative calculations of two-photon and three-photon processes.

Proposed nuclear nonlinear optical phenomena as a new research area.

Abstract

Intense laser technologies generate light with unprecedented and growing intensities. The possibility emerges that a nucleus responds nonlinearly to an intense light field, pointing to a yet little explored research area of nuclear nonlinear optics. We consider two-photon and three-photon absorption (with subsequent disintegration) processes of the deuteron, the simplest and the most fundamental nontrivial nucleus, as prototypes of nuclear nonlinear optical effects. Quantitative calculations are performed on these processes and novel observable effects are predicted.