Micro-scale fusion in dense relativistic nanowire array plasmas.

Nuclear fusion is regularly created in spherical plasma compressions driven by multi-kilojoule pulses from the world's largest lasers. Here we demonstrate a dense fusion environment created by irradiating arrays of deuterated nanostructures with joule-level pulses from a compact ultrafast laser. The irradiation of ordered deuterated polyethylene nanowires arrays with femtosecond pulses of relativistic intensity creates ultra-high energy density plasmas in which deuterons (D) are accelerated up to MeV energies, efficiently driving D-D fusion reactions and ultrafast neutron bursts.

0.85 PW laser operation at 3.3 Hz and high-contrast ultrahigh-intensity λ = 400 nm second-harmonic beamline.

We demonstrate the generation of 0.85 PW, 30 fs laser pulses at a repetition rate of 3.3 Hz with a record average power of 85 W from a Ti:sapphire laser.

Energy penetration into arrays of aligned nanowires irradiated with relativistic intensities: Scaling to terabar pressures.

Ultrahigh-energy density (UHED) matter, characterized by energy densities >1 × 10 J cm and pressures greater than a gigabar, is encountered in the center of stars and inertial confinement fusion capsules driven by the world's largest lasers. Similar conditions can be obtained with compact, ultrahigh contrast, femtosecond lasers focused to relativistic intensities onto targets composed of aligned nanowire arrays. We report the measurement of the key physical process in determining the energy density deposited in high-aspect-ratio nanowire array plasmas: the energy penetration.