Tritium-induced nuclear reactions with light nuclei on the Omega Laser Facility

Experimental data on tritium-induced nuclear reactions involving neutron-rich light nuclei such as ⁶He, ⁸Li, and ¹¹Be remain scarce, despite their critical importance in nuclear astrophysics. These nuclei play a pivotal role in the rapid neutron capture process, acting as seed nuclei that influence nucleosynthesis pathways beyond the A=5 and A=8 mass gaps. Their relevance spans multiple astrophysical environments, including core-collapse supernovae, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, and neutron star mergers. Laser-ion acceleration presents a promising opportunity to generate radioactive tritium beams. The high-power laser systems at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics enable the production of multi-MeV radioactive ion beams using compact, laser-driven targets. However, key challenges persist, including the suppression of parasitic proton acceleration from surface contaminants and the generation of monoenergetic, high-yield tritium sources. Ongoing experimental campaigns are focused on optimizing laser-driven tritium beam production via the target-normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) mechanism. These efforts aim to establish a reproducible platform, with insights directly informing the design and operation of petawatt-class facilities. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy [National Nuclear Security Administration] University of Rochester “National Inertial Confinement Fusion Program” under Award Number(s) DE-NA0004144.