Dominant Secondary Nuclear Photoexcitation with the X-ray Free Electron Laser

Abstract

The new regime of resonant nuclear photoexcitation rendered possible by x-ray free electron laser beams interacting with solid state targets is investigated theoretically. Our results unexpectedly show that secondary processes coupling nuclei to the atomic shell in the created cold high-density plasma can dominate direct photoexcitation. As an example we discuss the case of ${}^{93m}$Mo isomer depletion for which nuclear excitation by electron capture as secondary process is shown to be orders of magnitude more efficient than the direct laser-nucleus interaction. General arguments revisiting the role of the x-ray free electron laser in nuclear experiments involving solid-state targets are further deduced.

6 pages, 2 figures; v2 updated to published version; results unchanged

References in corpus (8)

• Extremely high-intensity laser interactions with fundamental quantum systems
• Isomer triggering via nuclear excitation by electron capture
• Theory of nuclear excitation by electron capture for heavy ions
• Electric dipole-forbidden nuclear transitions driven by super-intense laser fields
• Nuclear effects in atomic transitions
• Characteristics of the 21/2^+ isomer in 93Mo: toward the possibility of enhanced nuclear isomer decay
• Cooperative effects in nuclear excitation with coherent x-ray light
• Extension of self-seeding to hard X-rays >10 keV as a way to increase user access at the European XFEL

Cited by in corpus (21)

• The ${}^{229}$Th isomer: prospects for a nuclear optical clock
• Femtosecond pumping of nuclear isomeric states by the Coulomb collision of ions with quivering electrons
• Journeys from Quantum Optics to Quantum Technology
• ${}^{93m}$Mo isomer depletion via beam-based nuclear excitation by electron capture
• Tailoring laser-generated plasmas for efficient nuclear excitation by electron capture
• Relativistic interaction of long-wavelength ultrashort laser pulses with nanowires
• Dynamical control of nuclear isomer depletion via electron vortex beams
• Nuclear excitation by electron capture in optical-laser-generated plasmas
• Excitation of the ${}^{229}$Th nucleus via a two-photon electronic transition
• Transient nuclear inversion by X-Ray Free Electron Laser in a tapered x-ray waveguid
• Direct and secondary nuclear excitation with x-ray free-electron lasers
• X-ray assisted nuclear excitation by electron capture in optical laser-generated plasmas
• Quantum effects on plasma screening for thermonuclear reactions in laser-generated plasmas
• Coupling highly excited nuclei to the atomic shell in dense astrophysical plasmas
• Light, the universe, and everything -- 12 Herculean tasks for quantum cowboys and black diamond skiers
• Laser assisted proton collision on light nuclei at moderate energies
• Transition between Amplified Spontaneous Emission and Superfluorescence in a longitudinally pumped medium by an X-ray free electron laser pulse
• Proton scattering on carbon nuclei in bichromatic laser field at moderate energies
• Amplifying ultraweak transitions in collective systems via quantum interference
• Isomer depletion via nuclear excitation by inelastic electron scattering
• State-Selective High-Energy Excitation of Nuclei by Resonant Positron Annihilation