Increased nuclear reaction yields in cluster targets irradiated with circularly polarized, short and intense laser pulses

Analytical estimates and numerical simulation were used to review the yield of nuclear reaction products in a separate cluster and in the focal volume of laser cluster plasma. The circular polarization of a short intense laser pulse is shown to produce an average magnetic field that keeps the plasma of the focal volume from transverse expansion. An extension of plasma lifetime results under certain conditions in a significant (up to double) increase in neutron yield in the Li(D, n)⁸Be reaction compared to plasma heating by a linear polarization laser pulse when the magnetic field is absent.