On the possibility of laser-plasma-induced depopulation of the isomer in ⁹³Mo at ELI-NP

High-power PW laser systems (HPLS) provide intense beams of accelerated reaction-driving protons simultaneously with spatially localized keV-plasmas. We herein depict our groundwork and strategy to use these unique features of the HPLS at the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI-NP) by exposing the long-lived nuclear isomer ^93mMo at 2.425 MeV (t_1/2
= 6.85 h) to plasma facilitating the local petawatt beamlines. An intermediate short-lived (t_1/2 = 3.52 ns) state situated only 4.85 keV above ^93mMo constitutes a gateway to allow for its prompt release. The controllable release of the nuclear isomer energy will henceforth enable harvesting energy densities in the nuclear regime of GJkg^-1 (‘Nuclear Battery’). The campaign was inspired by the observation of the triggered release of
via the intermediate state by Chiara et al. [1] published in Nature. They assigned the hitherto elusive Nuclear Excitation by Electron Capture (NEEC) as the driving process and claimed a very high probability of P^exp_NEEC= 0.010(3). However, these claims are challenged by experimentalists [2, 3] and theory [4]. We herein outline our strategy following bespoke theoretical guidance in the quest to unambiguously and independently demonstrate the onset of NEEC in ^93mMo. With the yield estimations derived for our forthcoming HPLS experiment at ELI-NP, we draw optimism to resolve the current conundrum between the conflicting experimental observations and theoretical interpretations as discussed in world-leading journals and to pave the way for the future utilization of isomer depopulation in applied physics.