A. P. Matafonov

The experimental results on the initiation of various (γ, n) and (p, n) nuclear reactions in the picosecond laser plasma are presented. It is demonstrated that the following (γ, n) and (p, n) nuclear reactions can be initiated at a laser intensity of 2 × 10¹⁸ W/cm² with the threshold energies of γ-quanta ranging from 1.67 to 7.56 MeV and the threshold energies of protons ranging from 1.88 to 5 MeV: ⁹Be(γ, n)2α, ¹⁸¹Ta(γ, n)¹⁸⁰Ta, ⁷Li(p, n)⁷Be, ⁶³Cu(p, n)⁶³Zn, ⁴⁸Ti(p, n)⁴⁸V. The method based on the detection of fast neutrons using the 3He counters is employed for the measurement of the number of the initiated (γ, n) and (p, n) nuclear reactions. The measured yield of the (γ, n) and (p, n) nuclear reactions ranges from 5 × 10¹ to 10⁵ reactions per laser pulse.

Results of experimental investigations of fast-proton production in a laser plasma are presented for the case where the intensity of laser radiation at the targets is 2 × 10¹⁸ W/cm². Three processes of fast-proton acceleration in laser plasma are investigated: (1) the acceleration of protons from the front surface toward the laser pulse, (ii) the acceleration of protons from the front surface of the target toward its interior, and (iii) the acceleration of protons from the rear foil surface in the outward direction. The activation procedure and CR-39 tracker detectors featuring a set of various-thickness aluminum filters were used to record fast protons. It turned out that the proton-acceleration process is the most efficient in the case of proton acceleration from the rear foil surface in the outward direction. Experimental results revealed that about N _p = 10⁷ protons of energy in the region E _p > 1.9 MeV that are accelerated from the target surface toward a laser ray, N _p = 4× 10⁷ protons of energy in the region E _p > 1.9 MeV that are accelerated fromthe front surface of the target toward its interior, and N _p = 4×10⁸ protons of energy in the region E _p > 1.9 MeV that are accelerated from the rear foil surface in the outward direction are generated at a laser-radiation intensity of 2 × 10¹⁸ W/cm² at the surface of aluminum, copper, and titanium targets. Experimental investigations aimed at optimizing the process of proton acceleration from the rear surface of aluminum foils were performed by varying the foil thickness over the range between 1 and 100 µm. The results of these experiments showed that there is an optimum foil thickness of 10 µm, in which case protons of maximum energy 5 MeV are generated.

The results of experiments devoted to studying the excitation of the promising nuclear fusion reactions ⁶Li(d, α)⁴He, ³He(d, p)⁴He, ¹¹B(p, 3α), and ⁷Li(p, α)⁴He, along with the standard reaction D(d, n)³He, in picosecond laser plasmas are presented. For the first time, it was shown that these reactions may proceed at a moderate laser-radiation intensity of 2 × 10¹⁸ W/cm², the respective yield being 2 × 10³ to 10⁵ per laser pulse. A brief survey of the main processes responsible for the generation of fast electrons and fast ions (protons) at the front surface of the target and for the excitation of nuclear fusion reactions is given. The calculated and experimental results on the yield from nuclear fusion reactions in picosecond laser plasmas are compared. The possibilities for optimizing the yield from the promising fusion reactions excited in femto- and picosecond laser plasmas are discussed.

Experimental results on the effect of picosecond and nanosecond prepulses on the neutron yield in laser picosecond plasma on the surface of solid (CD₂)_n targets at a laser intensity of 10¹⁸ W/cm² are presented. It is demonstrated that the picosecond (nanosecond) prepulse decreases the neutron yield at a laser prepulse intensity of higher than 10¹³ (10¹²) W/cm². The estimates indicate three possible mechanisms for the realization of the observed effect: stimulated Mandelstam-Brillouin scattering of the main pulse by the preplasma, channels of the generation of fast ions, and their possible deceleration in the preplasma. The results of calculations are compared with the experimental data.

Nuclear processes in the presence of the superstrong laser fields of a picosecond laser plasma are experimentally studied at a radiation intensity of 2 × 10¹⁸ W/cm² on a Neodim laser setup with a power of 10 TW. Experimental data regarding neutron generation on the surface of a deuterated target (CD₂)_n owing to the thermonuclear fusion ²H(d,n)³He and the neutron generation on the Be target due to the photonuclear reaction ⁹Be(γ,n)2α are presented. Neutron yields Y _n of 10⁶ and 10³ per 4π sr per laser pulse are obtained for the (CD₂)_n and Be targets, respectively. The alpha-particle yield is measured for the first time in the neutron-free thermonuclear reactions ¹¹B + H → 3⁴He in the laser plasma on the surface of the composite B + (CH₂)_n targets. The alpha-particle yield is 10³ per 4π sr per laser pulse.

The interaction of high-power picosecond laser radiation with solid targets is experimentally studied for the first time at various spectral distributions of a chirped laser pulse. The interaction of the high-power laser radiation with the target is studied at four regimes of the experimental setup: (i) at a relatively high contrast (10³) in the picosecond (Δt ∼ 25 ps) range, (ii) at a relatively low contrast (3 × 10¹) in the picosecond (Δt ∼ 25 ps) range, (iii) with spectral distortions of the chirped pulse, and (iv) with a strongly modulated spectrum of the chirped pulse. The results obtained reveal a strong dependence of the atomic and nuclear processes in the laser picosecond plasma on the spectral distribution of the chirped laser pulse. The prospects for the application of the spectral interferometry of chirped pulses for the online control of the parameters of the high-power laser radiation are demonstrated.