Nuclear excitation by electron capture in optical-laser-generated plasmas

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.