Photo-proton emission from halo nuclei in the presence of a linearly polarized laser field

Abstract

We investigate the emission of protons from halo nuclei which are subject to the combined electromagnetic fields of a γ-ray photon and an intense laser beam of linear polarization. Photo-proton energy spectra resulting from this laser-assisted nuclear photoeffect are calculated within an S-matrix approach based on the strong-field approximation. We analyze the influence of the applied γ-ray energy, laser field polarization and nuclear isotope on the proton emission spectra. The process represents an example from the field of laser-assisted photo-nuclear physics which may be explored at the upcoming Extreme Light Infrastructure.