The process of nuclear excitation by electron capture in plasma environments generated by the interaction of ultrastrong optical lasers with solid-state samples is investigated theoretically. With the help of a… Click to show full abstract
The process of nuclear excitation by electron capture in plasma environments generated by the interaction of ultrastrong optical lasers with solid-state samples is investigated theoretically. With the help of a plasma model, we perform a comprehensive study of the optimal parameters for the most efficient nuclear excitation and determine the corresponding laser setup requirements. We discern between the low-density plasma regime, modeled by scaling laws, and the high-density regime, for which we perform particle-in-cell calculations. As a nuclear transition case study we consider the 4.85-keV nuclear excitation starting from the long-lived ^{93m}Mo isomer. Our results show that the optimal plasma and laser parameters are sensitive to the chosen observable and that measurable rates of nuclear excitation and isomer depletion of ^{93m}Mo should be already achievable at laser facilities existing today.
               
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