Introducing the fission–fusion reaction process: using a laser-accelerated Th beam to produce neutron-rich nuclei towards the N=126 waiting point of the r-process

摘要

We propose to produce neutron-rich nuclei in the range of the astrophysical r-process (the rapid neutron-capture process) around the waiting point N=126 (Kratz et al. in Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys. 59:147, 2007; Arnould et al. in Phys. Rep. 450:97, 2007; Panov and Janka in Astron. Astrophys. 494:829, 2009) by fissioning a dense laser-accelerated thorium ion bunch in a thorium target (covered by a polyethylene layer, CH₂), where the light fission fragments of the beam fuse with the light fission fragments of the target. Using the ‘hole-boring’ (HB) mode of laser radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) (Robinson et al. in Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 51:024004, 2009; Henig et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 103:245003, 2009; Tajima et al. in Rev. Accel. Sci. Technol. 2:221, 2009) using a high-intensity, short pulse laser, bunches of 232Th with solid-state density can be generated very efficiently from a Th layer (ca. 560 nm thick), placed beneath a deuterated polyethylene foil (CD₂ with ca. 520 nm), both forming the production target. Th ions laser-accelerated to about 7 MeV/u will pass through a thin CH₂ layer placed in front of a thicker second Th foil (both forming the reaction target) closely behind the production target and disintegrate into light and heavy fission fragments. In addition, light ions (d,C) from the CD₂ production target will be accelerated as well to about 7 MeV/u, also inducing the fission process of 232Th in the second Th layer. The laser-accelerated ion bunches with solid-state density, which are about 1014 times more dense than classically accelerated ion bunches, allow for a high probability that generated fission products can fuse again when the fragments from the thorium beam strike the Th layer of the reaction target.