Laser-optical path to nuclear energy without radioactivity: Fusion of hydrogen–boron by nonlinear force driven plasma blocks

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 282; no. 20; pp. 4124 - 4126
• Main Authors: Hora, H., Miley, G.H., Ghoranneviss, M., Malekynia, B., Azizi, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15-10-2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Beam trapping, self-focusing and defocusing; self-phase modulation; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Nonlinear optics; Optics; Physics; Deuterium; Plasma; Optical self-focusing; Optical properties; Laser fusion; Pulsed lasers; ps range
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2009.07.024

Anomalous interaction of terawatt-picosecond laser pulses allows side-on ignition of solid state density fusion fuel with the unexpected possibility of igniting uncompressed hydrogen–boron p-
11B. Suppression of relativistic self-focusing by using very clean laser pulses with an extremely high contrast ratio is essential to achieve ignition thresholds only ten times more difficult than fusion of deuterium–tritium (DT). This opens the possibility for laser driven fusion energy without neutrons and less radioactivity than from burning coal. The complex nonlinear optical properties involved are elaborated.