Laser-based approach to measure small nuclear cross sections in plasma.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39531502.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.2413221121 and PMC identifier 11588089.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
We demonstrate an approach successfully measuring very small nuclear isomeric excitation cross sections (on the order of 10 to 100 picobarns) via laser-cluster interaction. The interaction between an intense laser pulse and Kr atomic clusters generates a high-temperature and high-density plasma ball in which nuclear excitations are facilitated by inelastic electron scattering. The electron temperature reaches several hundred keV (corresponding to 10[Formula: see text] K), similar to a stellar environment. The very small nuclear excitation cross sections are extremely challenging to measure otherwise, for example using traditional accelerator-based approaches. Our method opens a broad avenue of measuring small nuclear cross sections and holds promise for advancing understanding of nuclear transition mechanisms and exploring pathways in the evolutionary dynamics of elements within stellar environments.