Investigations of nuclear reactions in microscale targets providing the generation of super-strong quasi-stationary fields under the influence of laser radiation

Abstract: Schemes providing favorable conditions for the occurrence and study of light nuclei fusion reactions in microscale targets with the use of one or more multi-petawatt laser pulses are presented. The specific feature of the considered targets lies in their ability to generate super-strong magnetic or electric quasi-stationary fields unattainable by other methods. Magnetic fields excited in snail-type targets make it possible not only to significantly suppress the electron heat conductivity, but also, in some cases, to retain the charged reaction products. Electric fields generated in spherical or cylindrical microcavities make it possible to perform implosive compression of the matter up to the solid-state density level under heating to tens and hundreds of keV. The estimates that show the possibility of creating super-bright sources of secondary particles with the use of the considered schemes are given.

Keywords: multi-petawatt laser pulses, fusion of light nuclei, microscale targets, matter compression