Enhancing the creation of elements in laser-assisted heavy-ion fusion reactions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how intense laser fields can enhance heavy-ion fusion probabilities at subbarrier energies, providing quantum dynamical calculations that show potential increases of 6-60% under specific laser conditions.

Contribution

It introduces quantum dynamical coupled-channels calculations for laser-assisted heavy-ion fusion, demonstrating significant enhancement effects at subbarrier energies with high-intensity lasers.

Findings

Laser fields can increase fusion probability by 6-60% at subbarrier energies.

Femtosecond laser pulses significantly reduce fusion enhancement.

Laser-nucleus interaction effects depend on laser intensity and photon energy.

Abstract

Low-energy fusion of heavy ions is a fascinating coupling-assisted quantum tunnelling problem, whose understanding is crucial for advancing the synthesis of new elements and isotopes. Quantum dynamical coupled-channels calculations of laser-assisted $^{16}$O + $^{238}$U fusion are presented for both a central collision and the total fusion cross-sections, suggesting that laser-nucleus interaction can enhance the average $^{16}$O + $^{238}$U fusion probability by $6-60 \%$ at subbarrier energies using quasi-static laser fields of intensity $10^{27}-10^{29}$ Wcm$^{-2}$ and photon's energy of $1$ eV. Femtosecond laser pulses are shown to reduce this enhancement by many orders of magnitude.