Speaker
Description
The short range of the nuclear force has often been used by nuclear physicists to justify ignoring most of the influence of a high energy density plasma (HEDP) environment on neutron induced nuclear reaction dynamics. However, the recent achievement of Lawson’s criterion [1] and the achievement of target gain >1 at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [2] has for the first time created a Neutron-rich High Energy Density Plasma (nHEDP) environment where the rate of electromagnetic energy exchange between the nucleus and its external environment becomes comparable to the rate of neutron-induced reactions. The resulting intersection of nuclear and plasma science opens the possibility of studying the interplay between compound nuclear states and its surrounding plasma environment. Furthermore, the extraordinarily high neutron flux in these inertial fusion systems poses significant materials science challenges like those faced by space applications.
In this talk I will present efforts underway in Berkeley to address both the scientific and operational challenges of studying nuclear reactions in HEDP settings. This includes a review of a recent experiment at the BELLA facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) that showed evidence of plasma-nuclear induced excitations of isomeric states in 80Br [3] and an experimental campaign at the NIF to study the influence of a nHEDP on fission dynamics. I will also discuss how a new experimental capability developed at LBNL to address these issues can also be used to produce copious quantities of the two most promising radionuclides under development for the treatment of cancer via targeted alpha therapy, 225Ac and 212Pb.
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Offices of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, under Contract No. DEAC02-05CH11231, and by a philanthropic gift from Google LLC.
[1] Lawson Criterion for Ignition Exceeded in an Inertial Fusion Experiment. H. Abu-Shawareb et al.*. Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001
[2] Achievement of Target Gain Larger than Unity in an Inertial Fusion Experiment. H. Abu-Shawareb et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 065102 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.065102
[3] Enhanced isomer population via direct irradiation of solid-density targets using a compact laser-plasma accelerator. Robert E. Jacob et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 052504 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.052504