Creation of isotopes using laser beams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10217538-B2
Application number	US-201414906951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2014
Priority date	Jul 22, 2013
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A method for creating isotopes using laser beams, including the steps: 1) placing a target under plasma conditions, 2) bombarding the target under plasma conditions with particles generated using a bundle of laser beams, the bundle of laser beams being synchronized with the development of the plasma conditions, the fuel and the particles being selected in such a way that the interaction between the target under plasma conditions and the particles generates nuclear reactions, and 3) recovering the isotopes generated by the nuclear reactions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for creating isotopes using laser beams, comprising steps of:
/1/ converting a target, comprising a fuel, to a plasma state, and
/2/ generating particles with a set of laser beams and bombarding the target in the plasma state with the particles wherein:
the particle generation is synchronized with the target conversion; and
the bombarding produces nuclear reactions between the fuel and the particles and creates said isotopes.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step /2/ is repeated several times on the same target.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step /2/ comprises irradiating a second solid, gaseous or liquid target with the set of laser beams.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the set of laser beams used to bombard the target is a first set of laser beams, the target being converted to the plasma state by using a second set of laser beams.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the target comprises a hollow depression, and, at step /2/, the particles are directed into the hollow depression.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the target is surrounded by an envelope comprising an opening, and, at step /2/, the particles bombarding the target are directed through the opening to the target.

7. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nuclear reactions include nuclear chain reactions.

8. A process for creating stable isotopes, radioisotopes, or nuclear isomers using laser beams, comprising steps of:
/1/ converting a target, comprising a fuel, to a plasma state, and
/2/ generating particles with a set of laser beams and bombarding the target in the plasma state with the particles, wherein:
the particle generation is synchronized with the target conversion; and
the bombarding produces nuclear reactions between the fuel and the particles and creates said stable isotopes, radioisotopes, or nuclear isomers.

Assignees

• Ecole Polytech

Inventors

• Labaune Christine
• Rafelski Johann

Classifications

• G21G1/10 Primary

  by bombardment with electrically charged particles (irradiation devices G21K5/00) · CPC title

• G21G1/12

  by electromagnetic irradiation, e.g. with gamma or X-rays (applications of radiation G21H5/00; irradiation devices G21K5/00) · CPC title

• H05H1/0043

  by using infrared or ultraviolet radiation · CPC title

• G21G1/06

  by neutron irradiation · CPC title