Qi J, Zhang H, Wang X. Isomeric Excitation of ^{229}Th in Laser-Heated Clusters.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023;
130:112501. [PMID:
37001082 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.130.112501]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
We consider theoretically isomeric excitation of ^{229}Th in a laser-heated cluster. A ^{229}Th cluster is first radiated by an intense femtosecond laser pulse, causing ionization of the constituting atoms. The cluster will then survive for a time on the order of 1 ps, during which the electrons collide with the nuclei repeatedly and excite them to the isomeric state. Two mechanisms are responsible for the isomeric excitation: nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) and nuclear excitation by inelastic electron scattering (NEIES). By changing the laser intensity, one can tune between NEEC and NEIES continuously. This laser-heated-cluster scheme not only provides a highly efficient means for isomeric excitation, but also provides an approach for the confirmation of the NEEC process, which has been predicted for over forty years without conclusive experimental verifications.
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