Controlled Release of Energy from Nuclear Isomers by Laser-Driven X-Rays
Abstract
Controlled release of substantial amounts of stored energy is important for the instantaneous global operations of the United States Army. Sources of chemically stored energy are currently limited by maximum amount of stored energy, cost, complexity, and safety hazard. Controlled release of energy from nuclear isomers has been proposed as a viable alternative. In this concept, specific nuclei are excited to long-lived metastable isomeric states. When the nuclei are irradiated with x-rays, the stored energy can be released. The isomeric state becomes excited to a different level, from which it decays to an intermediate or ground state. The major advantage of this approach is that the energy storage capacity of a nuclear system is potentially a million-fold higher than a chemical system, due to comparatively higher energy-excitation levels (MeV versus eV). A primary goal of the project is to perform measurements of the decay of nuclear isomeric states from excited levels with laser-driven x-rays in the 0.1-1.0 MeV spectral range. In collaboration with nuclear scientists from the Army Research Laboratory, we use a compact high-power laser system located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 12, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1210550
Entities
People
- Donald Umstadter
Organizations
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln