Laser-assisted {\alpha} decay of actinide nuclei in bichromatic fields

Abstract

Actinide nuclei provide a suitable platform for studying the laser-assisted nuclear $\alpha$ decay, with potential applications in nuclear transmutation, nuclear radiotherapy, and nuclear battery regulation. In the present work, we develop a deformed one-parameter model to quantitatively study the influence of ultra-intense laser fields on the $\alpha$ decay of actinide nuclei. Our calculations show that the $\alpha$-decay half-lives of these nuclei can be altered to some finite extent under laser intensities anticipated at near-future laser facilities. Furthermore, we found that, from the perspective of the nucleus, the laser field's effect on $\alpha$ decay is governed by the nuclear shell structure and decay energy. The $\alpha$-emitting nuclei with lower decay energies and located farther from neutron shell closures are more susceptible to the laser fields. From the perspective of the laser driver, we proposed a bichromatic laser scheme to enhance the effects of laser fields on $\alpha$ tunneling of actinide nuclei. With appropriate phase conditions and amplitude ratios, it is shown that a fundamental-second-harmonic ($\omega$-$2\omega$) bichromatic field can increase the time-averaged modification by one to two orders of magnitude.