Abstract: A system is provided for generating high-energy particles and for inducing nuclear reactions. The system includes a laser and for emitting a laser beam, an irradiation target for receiving the laser beam and producing high-energy particles, and a secondary target for receiving the high-energy particles, thereby inducing a nuclear reaction. A method is also provided including producing a laser beam of high-intensity with an ultra-short pulse duration, irradiating the laser beam onto an irradiation target in order to ionize the irradiation target and produce a collimated beam of high-energy particles, and colliding the collimated beam of high-energy particles onto a secondary target containing a nuclei, thereby inducing a nuclear reaction on the secondary target.

Abstract: A system is provided for generating high-energy particles and for inducing nuclear reactions. The system includes a laser and for emitting a laser beam, an irradiation target for receiving the laser beam and producing high-energy particles, and a secondary target for receiving the high-energy particles, thereby inducing a nuclear reaction. A method is also provided including producing a laser beam of high-intensity with an ultra-short pulse duration, irradiating the laser beam onto an irradiation target in order to ionize the irradiation target and produce a collimated beam of high-energy particles, and colliding the collimated beam of high-energy particles onto a secondary target containing a nuclei, thereby inducing a nuclear reaction on the secondary target.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and an apparatus to produce x-rays from plasmas by focusing an intense, short duration optical pulse from a laser onto a target. The concentrated energy contained in the focused laser beam ionizes the target material, raising it to a temperature at which ions are produced in a chain reaction ionization, and x-rays are emitted when ions become de-excited (their electrons change energy level) or free electrons recombine with the ions in the plasma. The method comprises controlling pulse time duration of x-rays emitted from a plasma-forming target by generating a beam of one or more laser pulses; adjusting the intensity of the laser pulse to obtain a desired intensity incident at a surface of the plasma-forming target matter; directing the laser pulse onto the surface of the plasma-forming matter to generate the x-rays having a pulse duration which changes in proportion to a change in the incident laser pulse intensity.