Surface heating of deuterium clusters by the field of a superintense ultrashort laser pulse for implementing the nuclear reaction d+d -> He-3+n

A new mechanism for heating the electron component of plasmas formed upon t he application of a superintense ultrashort laser pulse to atomic clusters is proposed. Clusters considered here consist of deuterium atoms. Upon the emission of a large number of electrons, an irradiated cluster, which acqui res a positive charge, explodes (Coulomb explosion). Deuterons that are eje cted as the result of this possess high kinetic energies, so that collision s between them can result in He-3 formation accompanied by neutron emission . The new mechanism of the heating of the electron plasma from clusters is based on the conjecture that, when an ionization electron is reflected from the inner surface of the cluster ion in the presence of a laser field, it predominantly absorbs (rather than emits) laser photons. (C) 2001 MAIK "Nau ka/Interperiodica".