Nuclear photonics: Laser-driven nuclear physics

Abstract

Abstract High-power lasers can produce high-energy gamma rays, charged particles, and neutrons and induce various types of nuclear reactions. In Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP), Romania, high-power lasers are entering a new realm of 10 PW peak power, capable of obtaining a focused intensity of 1023 Wcm–2. Such an intense laser pulse will be used for studies relevant to nuclear physics, high-field physics, and quantum electrodynamics, or the combination of laser gamma experiments. Here, we describe how a laser is used to drive high-energy photons and accelerate electrons and protons. These particles can be used for secondary interactions in nuclear physics. Laser-driven nuclear physics can be a source of nuclear isomers for applications in medicine and astrophysics.