New frontiers in nuclear physics with high-power lasers and brilliant monochromatic gamma beams

Abstract

The development of high power lasers and the combination of such novel devices with accelerator technology has enlarged the science reach of many research fields, in particular particle and nuclear physics, astrophysics as well as societal applications in material science, nuclear energy and applications for medicine. The European Strategic Forum for Research Infrastructures has selected a proposal based on these new premises called the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI). The ELI will be built as a network of three complementary pillars at the frontier of laser technologies. The ELI-NP pillar (NP for nuclear physics) is under construction near Bucharest (Romania) and will develop a scientific program using two 10 PW lasers and a Compton back-scattering high-brilliance and intense low-energy gamma beam, a combination of laser and accelerator technology at the frontier of knowledge. This unique combination of beams that are unique worldwide allows us to develop an experimental program in nuclear physics at the frontiers of present-day knowledge as well as society driven applications. In the present paper, the technical description of the facility as well as the new perspectives in nuclear structure, nuclear reactions and nuclear astrophysics will be presented.

Charged particle dynamics in multiple colliding electromagnetic waves. Survey of random walk, Lévy flights, limit circles, attractors and structurally determinate patterns

“…The applications of the laser based -ray sources are reviewed in Gales et al. (2016). The radiation friction effects on ion acceleration, on magnetic field self-generation and on high-order harmonics in laser plasmas have been studied in Tamburini et al.…”

“…Another configuration for the generation of a γ -ray flash is a single laser pulse irradiating an overdense plasma target (see Nakamura et al 2012;Ridgers et al 2012;Corvan, Zepf & Sarri 2016;Levy et al 2016). The applications of the laser based γ -ray sources are reviewed in Gales et al (2016). The radiation friction effects on ion acceleration, on magnetic field self-generation and on high-order harmonics in laser plasmas have been studied in Tamburini et al (2010Tamburini et al ( , 2011, Liseykina, Popruzhenko & Macchi (2016) and Tang, Kumar & Keitel (2016), respectively.…”

New light in nuclear physics: The extreme light infrastructure

“…Using these systems, unique and original experimental designs have been proposed in the field of new frontiers in nuclear physics and astrophysics, photonuclear reactions, strong field non-linear quantum electrodynamics (QED) effect, and dark-matter physics. The highlights of the ELI-NP experimental program were recently reviewed [2]. The Technical Design Reports for the future experiments are presented in ref.…”

Highlights of the day-one experimental program at the gamma-beam system of ELI-NP

“…A versatile research program related to physics and applications with brilliant gamma beams at the Extreme Light Infrastructure -Nuclear Physics facility (ELI-NP) has been defined in several Technical Design Reports (TDR) [1] and reviewed periodically [2][3][4][5]. Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) experiments, photoneutron reaction measurements, studies of ( γ , α ) or ( γ ,p) reaction cross sections and photo-fission experiments are considered.…”