New opportunities and challenges in nuclear physics with high power lasers

Contribution List

41. Welcome talk from ECT* director: U. van Kolck

7/1/24, 9:00 AM

22. High yield fast neutron generation with 1kHz repetition rate few cycle lasers

Prof. Karoly Osvay

7/1/24, 10:45 AM

23. Positron and photo-neutron creation using a petawatt laser to irradiate high-Z solid targets

Prof. Edison Liang

7/1/24, 11:25 AM

Over the past decade, using the Texas Petawatt Laser (TPW, 130 J, 130 fs) at Austin, Texas to irradiate high-Z thick targets(Au, Pt, Re...) at intensities up to 5x10^21 W/cm^2, we have created copious amounts of positrons and photo-neutrons, resulting in super-high densities of emergent positrons and neutrons. We are still in the early stages of exploring potential applications of such...

7. Photon-induced interactions in relativistic heavy ion collisions

Carlos Bertulani (Department of Physics Texas A&M University-Commerce)

7/1/24, 1:40 PM

Heavy ions provide strong electromagnetic fields that can be used to probe properties of interest in nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics and particle physics. In this talk I will discuss new developments in understanding the role of the symmetry energy in the equation of state of nuclear matter, nuclear collective phenomena, QED and QCD processes, and other physics phenomena induced by...

9. Nuclear astrophysics with gamma-ray/neutron provided from high peak power laser

Takehito Hayakawa (National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology)

7/1/24, 2:20 PM

High peak power laser has been developed quickly, which leads to generation of radiations such as gamma-rays and neutrons with energies higher than 1 MeV. These laser-driven radiations have unique features of high flux, ultra-short pulse, and continues energy distribution. These features are suitable for study of nuclear reactions in the universe, such as nuclear photoreactions with high...

25. Nuclear Isomers in Nucleosynthesis

Prof. Bradley Meyer

7/1/24, 3:30 PM

26. Discussion (neutron source and astrophysics)

7/1/24, 4:10 PM

Host: Klaus Spohr & Vojtech Horny

12. Nuclear excitation by electron capture perspectives for laser-generated plasmas and electronic vortex beams

Prof. Adriana Palffy

7/2/24, 9:00 AM

online

13. Nuclear excitation by electron capture in electron-ion collisions

Prof. Yuanbin Wu

7/2/24, 9:40 AM

online

15. New opportunities in nuclear physics with high-power lasers and multi-photon absorption

Chieh-Jen Yang (ELI-NP)

7/2/24, 10:50 AM

I will present some new possibilities, which are very unique for high-power laser systems, to advance nuclear photonics. The main focus will be to show that the multi-photon mechanism could pave a way to circumvent the very challenging problem of isomer pumping/depletion and gamma-ray laser, provided that an intense gamma-flash for laser-plasma interaction is available. The same mechanism...

16. What is Modern Nuclear Theory, and What are some of the pressing questions?

Prof. Harald Griesshammer

7/2/24, 1:30 PM

14. Developments in laser-driven ion acceleration relevant to nuclear physics with lasers

Prof. Paul McKenna

7/2/24, 2:10 PM

17. Nuclear isomers at the interface

Prof. Philip Walker

7/2/24, 3:20 PM

online

18. Discussion (nuclear excitation and isomers) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FaVb0eo_yilz83qgg87mdqIDvU1EPhBT4g39bD_Ky4Y/edit?usp=sharing

7/2/24, 4:00 PM

Host by: Jerry & Klaus

3. Flying focus beams as a tool to investigate strong-field physics

Antonino Di Piazza (Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester and Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester)

7/3/24, 9:00 AM

In a flying focus beam (FFB) the velocity of the focus can be "programmed" and it is independent of the group and the phase velocity of the beam itself. Recent experiments have demonstrated a moving focus over centimeter lengths, i.e., much longer than the Rayleigh length [1]. Scaling this technology to higher power laser pulses would allow one to employ FFBs as a tool for fundamental...

6. Two Laser-Driven Nuclear Physics (LDNP) flagship experiments have been identified for the NSF OPAL Laser Facility

Dr Chad Forrest (University of Rochester)

7/3/24, 10:10 AM

Laser-ion acceleration mechanisms provide a unique opportunity for generating radioactive tritium beams, which are currently not available at accelerator facilities. Few datasets exist of tritium-induced reactions involving light, neutron rich nuclei like 6He, 8Li and 11Be. However, these nuclei are of high interest for nuclear science because influence the r-process as “seed nuclei” [Ter01]...

27. TBA (review of where we're at with Apollon)

Prof. Julien Fuchs

7/3/24, 10:50 AM

4. Recent Progress on Heavy-Ion Acceleration: Towards the Fission-Fusion Nuclear Reaction Scheme

Peter Thirolf (LMU Munich)

7/3/24, 1:00 PM

The generation of heavy elements in the universe via the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process) lacks direct experimental probing, as the relevant nuclides lie far-off the last known isotopes near the ‘Waiting Point’ at N=126. The proposed ‘fission-fusion’ reaction mechanism aims at investigating this region by using laser-accelerated fissile ions in a two-stage (fission, fusion) scenario,...

28. TBA

Prof. Ishay Pomerantz

7/3/24, 1:40 PM

24. On the feasibility of the laboratory r-process studies with a laser-driven neutron source

Dr Vojtech Horny

7/3/24, 2:50 PM

29. discussion (strong QED, fission-fusion, neutron application)

7/3/24, 3:30 PM

Host: Leo Gizzi and Yuji Fukuda

19. Coherent radiation from nonlinear plasma wakefields in the blowout regime

Prof. Jorge Vieira

7/4/24, 9:00 AM

Coherent light sources, such as free electron lasers, provide bright beams for biology, chemistry, physics and advanced technological applications. As their brightness increases, these sources are also becoming progressively larger, with the longest being several km long (e.g. LCLS). Can we miniaturise these sources and bring them into university, hospital, and industrial-scale laboratories?...

30. Path towards a high-flux neutron source at ELI-NP

Prof. Siegfried Glenzer

7/4/24, 10:10 AM

10. Realizing isotopic temperature profiling by using laser-driven neutron source

Zechen Lan (Institute of laser engineering, Osaka Univ.)

7/4/24, 10:50 AM

Non-contact thermometry, including phase-contrast imaging thermography, is one of the key technologies for modern science and industry. However, it is challenging to instantaneously measure the temperature of a specific element inside an object. As a possible solution, we propose Neutron Resonance Absorption (NRA) analysis using a Laser-driven Neutron Source (LDNS). Here, fast neutrons...

31. Electron screening in nuclear reactions

Prof. Matej Lipoglavsek

7/4/24, 1:30 PM

32. Nuclear spallation by irradiating an atomic thin graphene target with an intense laser

Prof. Yasuhiro Kuramitsu

7/4/24, 2:10 PM

33. Plasma-Induced Modification of Nuclear β-Decays and Application to Nucleosynthesis

Bharat Mishra

7/4/24, 3:20 PM

The talk will be focused on the theory behind the interaction of a plasma with a nucleus, and the consequent modification of decay rates through leptonic and hadronic channels. The former will involve a description of the electron contribution to the decay rate, while the latter will focus on nuclear excited and isomeric states. The talk will include some slides on experimental measurement of...

34. Nuclear physics measurements with a laser-induced plasma: potential experimental issues and open questions

Dr Silvia Pisano

7/4/24, 3:50 PM

35. discussion (laser-driven sources, reaction, etc.)

7/4/24, 4:30 PM

host: Yuji Fukuda & Klaus Spohr

20. On the possibility of a laser assisted nuclear fusion in micron-scale 14N clusters

Prof. Yuji Fukuda

7/5/24, 9:00 AM

36. BNCT and HPLS related topic

Prof. Klaus Spohr (ELI-NP)

7/5/24, 10:10 AM

37. NSF OPAL: A design project to explore physics under extreme conditions

Prof. A. di Piazza

7/5/24, 10:50 AM

43. Summary and remark

Prof. Klaus Spohr (ELI-NP)

7/5/24, 11:10 AM

2. 10 PW Laser driven electron acceleration and neutron production at ELI-NP

Septimiu Balascuta (IFIN-HH)

We report the recent acceleration of multi GeV electrons with laser pulses of ultrashort and high power (1 - 10 PW) focused in gas jets with circular and rectangular profiles. The energy of the electrons was measured at each laser pulse with an electron spectrometer made of a 80 cm long dipole magnet and three scintillating screens. We measured the energy spectrum of the neutrons generated in...

40. Advances in Laser-driven Neutron Sources and Applications at Osaka University

Akifumi Yogo (Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University)

The evolution of laser and accelerator technologies has taken a new turn, giving rise to a new transdisciplinary field: Nuclear Photonics. Advances in high-intensity laser technologies have made it possible to accelerate electrons in the GeV class and protons close to 100 MeV from a distance of less than 1 mm. In particular, secondary beams such as laser-driven neutron sources (LDNS) are...

8. Coherent radiation from nonlinear plasma wakefields in the blowout regime

Prof. Jorge Vieira

Coherent light sources, such as free electron lasers, provide bright beams for biology, chemistry, physics and advanced technological applications. As their brightness increases, these sources are also becoming progressively larger, with the longest being several km long (e.g. LCLS). Can we miniaturise these sources and bring them into university, hospital, and industrial-scale laboratories?...

11. Fast neutron production with kHz repetition rate, few-cycle lasers

Karoly Osvay (NLTL, University of Szeged)

Recent development of ultrashort, high repetition rate laser technology resulted in systems with reliable and stable performance (<1%) over day-long operation. In addition to the several TWs peak power, these systems can produce 100 W average power at industrial standards. Hence, in neutron production they offer an alternative to the PW peak power lasers for applications which need a...

5. Nuclear isomers at the interface

Prof. Philip Walker (University of Surrey)

Nuclear isomers – excited states of atomic nuclei with half-lives ranging from less than a nanoseconds to many years [1] – have a variety of actual and potential applications beyond the domain of nuclear physics [2]. There are, for example, opportunities to study novel physics at the nuclear-atomic interface, including high-intensity, low-energy photon-nucleus interactions. One promising...

42. Nuclear Isomers in Nucleosynthesis

Bradley Meyer (Clemson University)

In most astrophysical environments, the transitions among excited states of a nucleus occur more rapidly than those between the nucleus and other nuclei. In this case, the nucleus can be considered to be internally equilibrated. In certain interesting cases, however, the nucleus may possess a long-lived isomer that communicates inefficiently with the ground state. In the nucleosynthetic...

39. Plasma-Induced Modification of Nuclear β-Decays and Application to Nucleosynthesis

Bharat Mishra (INFN - LNS)

The abundance of elements in the cosmos is a topic of active investigation. Since the dawn of nuclear astrophysics, various processes have been identified to explain the synthesis of elements, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Among these, the slow (s-) and rapid (r-) neutron capture processes are responsible for the synthesis of roughly 99% of all elements beyond the iron peak. ...

38. Short Excursion (TBA, mountain hike, etc.)

To be arranged.

1. Welcome talk

Chieh-Jen Yang (ELI-NP), Prof. Klaus Spohr

Jerry & Klaus will give the overall scope of the workshop from a nuclear theorist/experimentalist viewpoint.